Valentine’s Day

An annual observance on February 14 associated with romantic love, gift-giving, and the Christian feast of Saint Valentine.

Saint Valentine: The name of one or more Christian martyrs commemorated on February 14. The observance bears his name, though the historical identity behind it is uncertain.
Valentine card: A card given or sent to express affection, especially on February 14. Cards are among the observance’s most established forms of gift-giving.
Romantic love: A form of affection involving emotional intimacy and often romantic or sexual attraction. It is the central ideal most commonly attached to the holiday.
Saint Valentine’s Day in the Eastern Orthodox Church: Commemorations of saints named Valentine observed on dates other than February 14 in some Eastern Orthodox calendars. These observances distinguish Christian commemorations from the widely known romantic holiday.
Geoffrey Chaucer: An English poet whose writings helped shape literary culture in late medieval England. His poem “Parlement of Foules” linked St. Valentine’s Day with the pairing of birds.
Heart symbol: A stylized shape widely used to represent love and affection. Its familiar imagery appears on Valentine cards, decorations, and gifts.
Courtly love: A medieval literary tradition portraying idealized, often socially constrained romantic devotion. Medieval love poetry helped shape the holiday’s association with romantic courtship.
White Day: An East Asian gift-giving observance on March 14, one month after Valentine’s Day. It extends February 14 customs through a separate day for reciprocal gifts.
Parlement of Foules: A poem by Geoffrey Chaucer that depicts birds choosing mates on Saint Valentine’s Day. It is an early literary connection between the date and romantic pairing.
Chocolate: A food made from cacao that is commonly sold in sweetened forms. Boxed chocolates became a widely recognized Valentine’s Day gift.

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