Author’s Note: Research is credited to National Day Calendar and Britannica

Valentine’s Day is marked every year on Feb. 14. Modern celebrations include sending fancy cards called “valentines” to loved ones, buying roses, candy and other gifts and, of course, celebrating with your significant other.

The history of the day is not all chocolate and teddy bears. The day most likely marks the anniversary of the death of the Christian Saint Valentine, a priest who was martyred in 269.

There were several other saints by the same name. The other Saint Valentine honored on Feb. 14 was Valentine of Terni, who became a bishop in Italy. Tradition has it that he was martyred in 273 and both of these Valentines were buried near one another.

There are dozens of other accounts on Saint Valentines and their death days, but as near as I can tell, these are the two that are most important on Valentine’s Day. The date became a feast day for many different Christian denominations and different types of celebration formed across the world. Some commemorated it as the start of spring (hence the tradition of flowers) and others used it as a day of love.

The earliest record of Feb. 14 being dedicated as a day of love appears in a charter, probably issued by Charles VI of France, in the Charter of the Court of Love.  Roughly around the year 1400, the charter describes a series of festivities at the palace court with feasting, poetry and song competitions and dancing among the celebrations. 

As far as written valentine notes, the earliest discovered is from the 1400s, from the Duke of Orleans to his wife. Today, the tradition of love songs, written notes and flowers continues. Couples use the day to appreciate one another and exchange gifts. But these gestures aren’t limited to romances; friends and family often use the day to show those closest to them how much they love and appreciate them. 

Valentine’s Day has a long history and is still popular hundreds of years after the concept first began.