Valentine’s Day 2024: Who is Saint Valentine and why is he associated with love?

Happy Valentine's Day!

The day of love has arrived with couples commemorating their enduring relationship and cherishing their beautiful moments. 

Couples spend Valentine's arranging surprises, going on dinner dates, making romantic presents, and more.

While the day is celebrated with love, the origins of the day, according to some legends, aren’t that romantic.

Though its exact origins are still unknown, Valentine's Day has a long history. Some people think it originated with the Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival honouring love and fertility while others link it to the martyred Saint Valentine, Times of India reported.

According to legend, Saint Valentine performed secret marriages in the third century against the orders of the Roman government. While imprisoned at a local noble's mansion, Valentine healed his captor’s blind daughter and persuaded the family to become Christians. 

Before the Romans tortured and decapitated him, he sent a note to the daughter, signed "Your Valentine".

According to The Collector, the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer first made the romantic connection between Saint Valentine's Day and romance in the late 14th century with his poem "Parliament of Fowls," which was eventually included in his well-known work "The Canterbury Tales". 

Following Chaucer’s lead, 15th-century poets began writing verses known as "Valentines" to express affection for their beloveds. It was in this period that Saint Valentine became associated with romantic love.