By Lydia Libby 

I’m sure many of you remember the simple joys of exchanging valentines as children. The notes, the candy, maybe special pencils. But there is more of a history to Valentine’s Day than we were ever taught.

The History Channel’s website states that in 278 A.D., St. Valentine was executed by Claudius II on February 14. The Roman Catholic legend is that Claudius II outlawed young men to get married because he felt marriage was a distraction to those who were being sent to battle. During that time, St. Valentine married young couples in secrecy. Hence why the day is about love. St. Valentine wanted to celebrate love, which is why his death is remembered as a day of love.

However, people took this day of love and turned it into a commercialized holiday. A commercialized holiday revolving around written sentiments and flashy presents.

Written valentines began after 1400 BC. The oldest known valentine was a poem that was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans in 1415. Charles wrote the poem to his wife after he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. This poem is preserved and is part of the manuscript collection in the British Library in London.

Fast forward about 400 years and the first batch of mass-produced valentines are created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland set the stage for February 14 to become a day where lovers rejoice and enjoy small gifts and greeting cards. National Public Radio claims that in 1913, famous greeting card company Hallmark began mass-producing Valentine’s Day cards. Their cards were unique and offered a variety of sentimental statements that couples all over the United States could relate to.

The more relatable the card companies became, the more the candy and jewelry industries began to boom. People wanted to add a special something to celebrate those that they loved. Valentine’s Day became less about what St. Valentine did for those in love, and more about your loved ones and presents. Whether it was buying jewelry, candy, and a card for your significant other, or sending your child with little notes to show they cared about their classmates, Valentine’s Day became about spending money on those we love. In this day and age we want to celebrate this day by remembering those that we love and making sweet gestures of appreciation — which, if a holiday were to become commercialized, would be the way to do it.

Of course, everyone is able to go overboard on spending for Valentine’s Day. In fact, not just people in the United States, but Canadians, Mexicans, British, French, and Australian people all celebrate Valentine’s Day. About 85 percent of women from all of these countries contribute to the purchasing of valentines. That is a lot of Valentine’s Day cards!

Now, after learning the history of Valentine’s Day, you learn that there are many ways to celebrate February 14. It is up to you to decide if you view the holiday as a date night, a day to celebrate loved ones, or an occasion to remember St. Valentine — or maybe not celebratory occasion at all. Maybe you do buy a card, and you write how you feel. Maybe you buy candy for those who enjoy it. Just remember the historical value of this day of love.