Why does Valentine’s Day have a dark history?

Why does Valentine’s have a dark origin story? When it comes to Valentine’s Day, we often think of candies and cards, but its roots are pretty dark. According to NPR, it all started with an ancient Roman festival celebrated in the middle of February. Now, some of the details of this feast of fertility aren’t exactly safe to share on television, but the revelers would whip women with the hides of sacrificed animals to promote fertility. There was also a lottery to pair up. Couples for the festival? Maybe even longer if the match was successful. Then came a couple

of guys named Valentine, both executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius the second. According to legend, one was a priest who secretly married couples after marriages were outlawed to keep young men in the military. Another Valentine, a Bishop, was executed for helping Christians escape harsh Roman prisons. Stories suggest he sent a love letter to a woman who visited in prison, signing it from Your Valentine. Those legends are pretty murky. But the one thing historians agree on is that the Roman fertility festival was outlawed in the 5th century for being too Pagan. February 14th was then declared

Saint Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that it morphed into a holiday to celebrate love with people exchanging Valentine’s greetings. But it is fair to say no hallmark cards were exchanged with the why I’m Brandy Smith.