The History of Valentine's Day

The original mid-February celebration of love was a fertility festival which honoured the Roman god of agriculture. Like many of our modern holidays, this pagan merrymaking was later rebranded, and is now referred to as Valentine's Day.

Named after not one but TWO saints called Valentinus, the re-imagined celebration was more pope-y than love-y until the 14th century.

Saint Valentine's Day really hit its stride in 18th century London where couples proclaimed their love for each using the now ubiquitous gifts of candies, flowers, and saucy cards.

More than 1,500 years after its conception, Valentine's Day is big business. Nearly 200 million cards are bought each year and the average consumer will spend $160 on gifts. According to the National Retail Federation, men will spend twice as much money as compared to women.