Valentine's Day started from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, celebrated in mid-February, dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture Faunus and Roman founders Romulus and Remus. This festival involved rituals like sacrificing goats and dogs, whipping women with hides to promote fertility, and a lottery where men drew women's names to be paired with during the festival. Later, the Catholic Church Christianized this holiday, dedicating it to Saint Valentine, a 3rd-century Roman martyr who, according to legend, secretly married couples to spare young soldiers from a marriage ban by Emperor Claudius II. He was imprisoned and executed on or around February 14th, and before his death, he sent a note signed "From your Valentine," which is the origin of the modern Valentine's Day sentiment. The romantic associations with Valentine's Day were popularized during the Middle Ages, especially through the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, linking Valentine's Day to love and mating season in birds, which occurred around mid-February. Over time, the day evolved from its pagan origins to a celebration focused on romantic love and affection.
