One of the most romantic holidays is coming and we decided to reply the most common questions you may have.

This Lovers’ Day is celebrated on February 14. It is called Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. Start thinking what to get to your loved ones (and maybe friends) and we will help you with inspiration in our next posts. And here are some facts about this day that you may not know:

What is the history behind St Valentine’s Day?

The history of this holiday is the mystery. It is sort of a mix of Christian, Roman (ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring) and Victorian England (card-giving customs) traditions.

From February 13 to February 15, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia, which included a matchmaking lottery (young men took out the names of women from a jar). The couple would be involved in ‘romantic’ (or sexual) relationship for the duration of the festival.

The ancient Romans may also have given the name of our modern love festival. One of the versions is that on February 14 Emperor Claudius II executed two men named Valentine  in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.

Who was the St Valentine?

One legend says Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd century A.D. Emperor Claudius II decided single men were better soldiers than family men, so he outlawed marriage. Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young men and women in secret. When his actions were discovered, Emperor ordered him to be put to death.

What does the Bible say about Valentine’s Day?

It doesn’t say exactly about the Valentine’s Day, but Bible teaches about love. Here is an example:

1 John 4:7-12. Dear friends: let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Why do we give chocolates on Valentine’s Day?

Chocolate really has a very long history as a love food. Passion for chocolate was spread among Mayan and Aztec upper class elites.

Later, by the early 1600s, the fashion for chocolate had swept across Europe, chocolate houses became social gathering spots.

Valentine’s Day became a commercial holiday during the time of Queen Victoria, as Victorians started showering their lovers with Cupid-covered gifts and cards.

Then Richard Cadbury, a British chocolate manufacturerer, invented solid chocolate for eating (before it was a drink). Being a marketing genius, Cadbury started putting rosebuds and Cupids on heart-shaped boxes in 1861.