Valentine’s Day is a bit of a mystery. Although we know when it was started, we are not sure by who. According to history.com, Valentine’s Day is the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

Valentine’s Day was started in both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. There are many stories that say who or what started this holiday, but all have a common theme which is it was a man and he was a hero. Many believe it started in February to commemorate St. Valentine’s death but many also think that it has to do with a spring festival called the feast of Lupercalia which was celebrated by ancient Romans on February 13th through 15th. But at the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius (last Bishop of Rome) declared February 14th as Valentine’s Day.

The reason Valentine’s Day is associated love because France and England believed it was the start of birds’ mating season. The oldest known Valentine and possibly the reason that we send them today is a poem written in 1415 by Duke Charles of New to his wife while he was being held captive in the tower of London.

The commercialization of Valentine’s Day was started in 1840 when a newspaper called The Public Ledger openly endorsed the holiday. Cards made specifically for this day started in 1900 in the U.S. Now companies lure people in with jewelry, candy, and flowers. Valentine’s Day is estimated to make $19.6 billion in 2018 according to bigthink.com. Here at City High carnations can be delivered to classrooms throughout the day. Happy Valentine’s Day from the Little Hawk.