Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14th to honor St. Valentine and express love and affection between couples. Since the 19th century, people have exchanged cards, flowers like roses, and chocolates on this day. Red roses symbolize love, white represents peace, and yellow symbolizes friendship. While Valentine's Day has become more commercialized, it originated from the Catholic tradition of honoring Saint Valentine, who was martyred in Rome in 269 AD. There are debates around whether the February 14th date was chosen to Christianize the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia.

1. SAN VALENTÍN
Pablo Vázquez Pérez

2. When it is celebrated
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Valentine's Day is celebrated on 14th
February, the feast day of St. Valentine. It is a
traditional celebration in which lovers, partners
and married couples express their love and
affection for each other. In some countries it is
known as The Day of Lovers or The Day of
Love and Friendship.

3. Since when is it celebrated?
Since the nineteenth century, people have exchanged cards and gifts
like roses and chocolates. The gift of roses is common between
couples, friends and family, and the colour of the roses determines
the message expressed. For example, the red rose symbolizes love,
white represents peace and yellow represents friendship.
However, like most holiday celebrations, Valentine's Day has been
commercialized and now many think it seems more like a celebration
organized by the shops and department stores as any hint of
romanticism has been lost.

4. Who is St Valentine?
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The Catholic Church recognizes 11 Saint Valentines and 14th
February celebrates at least three of them:
Valentine of Rome: a roman priest who was martyred around the year 269 and was
buried on Via Flaminia. His relics can be found in the Church of Saint Práxedes in
Rome and in the Carmelite church of Whitefriar Street in Dublin (Ireland).
Valentine of Terni: around the year 197 he was named bishop of Interamna (now
called Terni). He is also buried on Via Flaminia, but in a different place to Saint
Valentine of Rome. His relics can be found in the Basilica of Saint Valentine of
Terni.
A third saint called Valentine (according to the Catholic Encyclopedia) was
mentioned in the early martyrologies under the same date (14th February). It only
states that he was martyrized in Africa with some companions.

5. Why is it celebrated on the 14th
February?
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Some people that Valentine's Day is on 14th
February because this is the date when Saint
Valentine died or was buried. Others believe
that it is celebrated mid-February because it
was an attempt by the Catholic church to
christianize the celebrations of the pagan
festival of fertility 'Lupercalia' which started on
15th February.

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