From Goat Whips to Cards, Chocolate, and Roses: The Weird History of Valentine’s Day
I just looked at the calendar and realized Valentine’s Day is next week. And I started to think about this anticipated (or dreaded, depending on your romantic status) holiday and how it came to be. Truth be told, I’ve always thought of it as one of those Hallmark-created holidays—a way for the card and gift industry to make some coin after Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year’s have passed. But after some research, I discovered some weird history behind this heartfelt celebration.
Valentine’s Day has a long and intriguing history that blends ancient traditions, religious significance, and modern-day commercialism. Its origins trace back to ancient Rome, but its journey to becoming a celebration of love as we know it today is fascinating and, frankly, a bit strange.
The Ancient Roman Connection
Valentine’s Day is believed to have its roots in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a pagan mid-February festival of fertility and purification. This is the weird part. During this festival, priests known as Luperci would sacrifice goats (an animal symbolizing fertility and purification). They would then fashion strips of the goats' hides into thongs called "februa" (where February gets its name) and use them to slap women and crop fields gently. This was believed to encourage fertility and good harvests. And women lined up for this treatment.
In addition to the animal sacrifices, matchmaking and the symbolic pairing of men and women took place. Documentation also describes young men running naked through the streets. Why not? If you’re going to be wielding a goat thong and slapping it around a bit, why not be nude?
Eventually, Lupercalia was outlawed, but many scholars speculate that the early Christian Church repurposed the festival’s timing and fertility themes to align with Saint Valentine’s Day.
Enter Saint Valentine: A Love Story with Less Whipping (Probably)
Fast-forward a few centuries to Saint Valentine, the man (or men) behind the holiday’s name. One popular story is about Valentine defying Emperor Claudius II by secretly marrying couples at a time when marriage was outlawed for soldiers. Naturally, this landed him in prison because true love, apparently, is illegal sometimes.
While awaiting execution, Valentine allegedly sent the first-ever love note to a young woman, signing it “From your Valentine.” Thus, he went from goat-free priest to patron saint of love.
The Church eventually abolished Lupercalia because, shockingly, it didn’t align with Christian values. But they weren’t about to let February go to waste. Instead, they Christianized it by declaring February 14 as Saint Valentine’s feast day, and, for a time, Valentine’s Day was a somber religious thing.
The Middle Ages: A Romantic Turn
Then along came Geoffrey Chaucer, a medieval poet who decided to spice things up. In his 14th-century poem Parliament of Fowls, Chaucer claimed that February 14 was the day birds picked their mates. This gave rise to the idea of lovebirds and sparked centuries of mushy poetry and courtly love where knights expressed devotion to noblewomen. Everyone started associating Valentine’s Day with romance.
The Exchange of Valentines
By the 15th and 16th centuries, people began exchanging written notes and tokens of affection. The oldest surviving Valentine’s message dates back to 1415, written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Fast-forward to the Victorian era, when Valentine’s Day was commercialized, especially in the United States. This happened on multiple fronts.
Esther A. Howland, an artist and entrepreneur, popularized elaborate, handcrafted cards with lace, ribbons, and poetic messages. She founded a card-making business and mass-produced Valentine cards in the 1840s. That’s why she’s known as the “Mother of the American Valentine.” And you thought Hallmark was the pioneer of the commercialized card industry? Nope.
Since expressing emotions openly was considered improper during Victorian times, flowers became a secret code for communication. This was known as “floriography.” Red roses, linked to love and passion, became the go-to flower for romantic gestures. Florists began marketing roses as the flowers for Valentine’s Day because their vibrant red color and timeless beauty made them an easy sell.
Around the same time, Richard Cadbury (now that last name sounds familiar) revolutionized chocolate gifting by creating the first heart-shaped box for Valentine’s Day. By combining the allure of chocolate with romantic packaging, he established the tradition of giving chocolates as a token of love.
Woohoo!
How Hallmark and Other Commercial Entities Hijacked Love
It wasn’t until the early 20th century that Hallmark Cards, founded in 1910, capitalized on the holiday significantly. They started mass-producing Valentine’s cards in 1913, making expressing love easier (and lazier) than ever. Why handwrite a note when you can let Hallmark do the heavy lifting? I spent some time at Hallmarks headquarters and visitor center, and it was pretty interesting to see how V-day cards have changed over the years—from sweet and straightforward to more varied, including humorous and to a broader group of recipients targeted (not just a romantic partner).
In addition, companies like Hershey’s and Ferrero Rocher capitalized on the growing Valentine’s Day craze, making chocolates an affordable and widely available gift.
And roses are still selling strong!
Modern-Day Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is now a multibillion-dollar industry. It is celebrated worldwide with various customs, including exchanging cards, chocolates, flowers, and gifts. To put things in perspective,
Consumer spending on Valentine’s Day 2024 totaled $25.8 billion, 5.84% below the all-time high of $27.4 billion total spending on Valentine’s Day 2020. Of this amount, 57% of consumers purchased candy.
Hallmark says over 145 million Valentine’s cards are exchanged yearly, making it the second most card-heavy holiday after Christmas.
Society of American Florists estimates that more than 250 million roses are produced for Valentine’s Day. At an average cost of $88/dozen in the Continental U.S., that’s an impressive haul for the floral industry.
Final Thoughts: From Goat Hides to Glitter Hearts
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia.
It has come a long way from its goat-sacrificing roots to the Hallmark holiday we know today. Whether planning a romantic night out, treating yourself to discounted candy on February 15, or just laughing at the absurdity of goat-hide traditions, remember this: love—like history—can be messy, surprising, and worth celebrating.
So this Valentine’s Day, raise a toast to the goats that made it all possible. And maybe be thankful you’re only dealing with buying a gift for yourself or receiving cards, chocolate, and/or roses instead of goat-hide whips.
Please send all Belgian chocolates directly to my home address.
