We all know valentines day as a day of love, but how was it started.Some people say that Valentines day began when Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with families or wives (Murtaugh 1). St. Valentine was believed to be a priest in the third century in Rome disagreed to this and still performed marriages to young people in secret. Then he was discovered he was sentenced to death and beheaded by Claudius II, but no one truly knows if anything else happened ( Ianniello 1).

The first valentine’s day started 496 B.C. started as a roman festival that they called Lupercalia which was in the middle of February on the fifthtenth. The festival celebrated the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus, Romulus, and Remus ( Ianniello 1). They sacrifice a dog and a goat for plenty of things.the would take the goat hide and the sacrificial blood and slapped it on women and crop fields. After this took place Women would put their names in a big bin (Murtaugh 1). Men would pick a name and be paired with that woman for the year, resulting in marriages. Soon Christians began doing this until the 5 century when the Pope Gelasius said it was un-christian and declared February 14 st. Valentines day.

It’s been super surprising to see how the modern Valentine’s Day turned out. Even though they aren’t for sure if these stories are correct they think this is what most likely happened. This holiday has involved to a much better than before they killed people and animals, how romantic .

Work Cited

History.com Editors. “History of Valentine’s Day.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Dec. 2009, www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2.
“The Gory Origins of Valentine’s Day.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 14 Feb. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gory-origins-valentines-day-180968156/.
Ianniello, Christian. “The History And Evolution Of Valentine’s Day.” The Odyssey Online, The Odyssey Online, 16 Oct. 2019, www.theodysseyonline.com/the-history-and-evolution-of-valentines-day.
“What Is Valentine’s Day and How Did It Start? – CBBC Newsround.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16945378.
Murtaugh, Taysha. “The History of Valentine’s Day Actually Isn’t That Romantic.” Country Living, Country Living, 7 Jan. 2020, www.countryliving.com/life/a46353/history-of-valentines-day/.