The roots of Valentine's day lie in ancient Rome

The ancient Roman festival Lupercalia took place annually on February 15 and involved primitive forms of courtship and matchmaking.

St. Valentine was also executed on February 14, around 278 A.D. Legend has it that he befriended the jailer's daughter and wrote a letter to her the night before his execution, then signed it, "From Your Valentine."

Two centuries later, Pope Gelasius ordered that Lupercalia be replaced with February 14, observing St.Valentine's Day.

The Romans also constructed the idea of Cupid, a god of love, which was adapted from Eros, a Greek god of passion and fertility.