Valentine’s Day is known for its spread of love and cheer to those that special in one’s heart. Every year on February 14, at least $25.9 billion around the world are spent on the many gifts and letters from customers wanting to share their love. While there are people who see Valentine’s Day as a way of giving gifts and showing appreciation, there have been drastic changes in the way this holiday is celebrated.

So, let’s examine Valentine’s Day, from back in the 5th century to 2024 now: buckle up the seatbelts, it is time to go through history!

Saint Valentine

First, who is Saint Valentine and why is he celebrated? Saint Valentine was a physician and a Roman priest who suffered martyrdom (the death and suffering of a martyr) and was executed by Roman emperor Claudius II during the persecution of Christians in the year 273. Many tales surround Saint Valentine, and whether they are true or false, they all have a message of love for their religion. Valentine was most popular for his notorious act of healing also known as helping his own jailer’s daughters leading her to walk the path of Christianity which many believe was a true act of love.

Although Pope Gelasius (a Roman bishop at the end of the 5th century, 493) declared Valentine’s Day as a holiday on February 14, it was not until the 14th century that the focus of the holiday shifted to romance. During the 5th century, a pastoral festival for Ancient Rome, centering on fertility and purification, was held on February 15 each year. Many of the activities revolved around annual rituals, giving of simple food, and, sadly, the sacrifice of animals.

In the year 1375, poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first man to document a poem about Saint Valentine’s love called “Parliament of Foules.”

“The life so short, the craft so long to learn, / The assay so hard, so sharp the conquering, / The fearful joy that slips away in turn, / All this means I by Love, / that my feeling Astonishes with its wondrous working / So fiercely that when I on love do think / I know not well whether I float or sink. / For although I know not Love indeed / Nor know how he pays his folk their hire, / Yet full oft it happens in books I read / Of his miracles and his cruel ire. / There I read he will be lord and sire; / I dare only say, his strokes being sore, / ‘God save such a lord!’ I’ll say no more,” Chaucer said in the first quarter of the poem.

Fast forward 25 years later: many more poems – focused around the ideas of love and spreading of Christianity from Saint Valentine – were in circulation. Historians suggest 1400 is the year when those who wanted to share their appreciation started to write ‘Valentine’ letters or show up with a whole load of flowers for love’s sake.

And how has Valentine’s Day changed since then?

Nowadays, Valentine’s Day is more synonymous of expectations from partners than love itself. Partners in a relationship tend to care more about receiving the gift than what the gift means. Big companies exploit this expectancy by cranking millions of dollars over items such as teddy bears and fake flowers. Some may even say that the tension of Valentine’s Day can be very stressful and may even lead to disappointment in the relationship when not given what they want/expect.

“Valentine’s Day can be a high-pressure holiday, with societal and cultural expectations to buy gifts and make grand gestures for romantic partners. People may feel compelled to spend money to meet these expectations, even if it means going into debt or spending money they don’t have,” Nonjabulo Sikhakhane, a writer for the LinkedIn website, said.

Yet Valentine’s Day, even in the year 1400, was never meant to be a holiday centered around money and gifts: it was about spreading love through handmade cards – appreciating those one cares about from heart and hands.

Perhaps few see a problem with the change in Valentine’s Day culture. No one has to change what they do on holidays just because times back then were different. Whatever floats the boat, correct? Just do what needs to be done to make loved ones happy.

So what has been learned? The topic of love has not changed in any way – but giving love has become a lot pricier. Would Saint Valentine approve? Or would he argue his teachings have been thrown away?