Valentine’s Day is creeping up on us, falling on February 14, 2018. As the holiday comes we often focus on buying gifts for significant others, celebrating love, eating chocolates, and so on, but no one ever questions WHY we do such things. Why do we celebrate Valentine’s Day? Where does this holiday originate? Well, an exact origin is difficult to pinpoint, but Valentine’s Day can be traced back to ancient Rome.

Like many traditions in Rome, Valentine’s Day (called the Feast of Lupercalia at the time) was celebrated in honor of the gods. Lupercalia lasted from February 13th to February 15th. Ancient Romans celebrated love during the feast, but instead of giving their dates some candy, men would sacrifice dogs and goats. The name and date of Valentine’s Day can also be associated with the Romans; on February 14, Emperor Claudius II executed a man named Valentine for treason.

Thanks to the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare, who romanticized the day in their works, we celebrate Valentine’s Day the way we do today. Their contributions lead to the holiday gaining popularity throughout Europe. Centuries later, the industrial revolution led to factory made greeting cards; Valentine’s cards became popular after card company Hallmark Cards mass produced Valentines cards, and it has been solidified as a tradition that we follow to this day.

Today, Valentine’s Day is much more commercial, so commercial that in 2010, $18 billion have been spent on Valentine’s Day products. Despite the commercialization of the holiday, Valentine’s Day is still about love and is celebrated all over the world. Norfolk has created a character named Jack Valentine. In Latin America, Valentine’s Day is known as Día del Amor y la Amistad, or Day of Love and Friendship, where friendship is celebrated alongside romantic love. In South Korea, it is tradition for women to give men chocolate on February 14th, for men to give woman candy on March 14th, and anyone who received nothing eat black noodles on April 14th.

Platteview High School will be celebrating the holiday with gifts being offered by the Celebrate Safe. As usual, they will be selling candy decorated drinks, candy bags with balloons, and/or a candy bag. The gifts will be distributed on Valentine’s Day.