How did Valentine's Day start?

Valentine's Day originated from a myth about Saint Valentine, the patron saint of the holiday. It was placed on February 14th to replace and Christianize the pagan holiday Lupercalia, which is on February 15th.

One theory is that Saint Valentine was a priest who performed marriages in secret during the third century in Rome. Marriage had been outlawed by Emperor Claudius II, because single men were more useful as soldiers than married men who had family responsibilities.

Another legend states that Valentine helped Christians escape terrible Roman prisons and was imprisoned for his actions. In this story, during his confinement, he wrote a love letter to a young woman signed "from your Valentine."