There were a few saints named Valentine. They lived in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. They were killed. One story says the emperor told men they could not get married. Valentine performed marriages anyway. Another story says Valentine was in jail. He fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. Before he was killed, he wrote her a letter. It said, From your Valentine! Those stories were probably made up.

The ancient Romans had a festival around February 14. Later, Pope Gelasius made the 14th a holy day. He may have been trying to replace the Roman holiday. This was not a romantic day, though. The feast day for St. Valentine was removed from the Catholic calendar in 1969. No one knew what Valentine had done to become a saint.

Valentine’s Day became romantic in 1382. A man named Chaucer wrote a poem. It was for the King of England’s engagement. The story took place on Valentine’s Day.

The oldest known Valentine letter was from the 1400’s. The Duke of Orleans wrote it to his wife while he was in jail. By the 1700’s, Valentine’s Day was popular. People wrote each other notes. Later, cards were printed. Postage was cheaper. Then ready-made cards became even more popular. Esther A. Howland sold the first mass-produced cards in the United States in the 1840’s.

Now, Valentine’s Day is celebrated all over the world. People in the United States give cards, flowers, and candy to loved ones. Some give jewelry, too.