There are many legends and traditions that have been combined to become the Saint Valentine’s Day we celebrate today. Some of them are lost in time, while others are more recent.

Like Christmas, there are those that begin making elaborate plans weeks ahead of time, while others are caught totally unprepared, seeking a last minute gift when they realize what day it is.

There is some confusion to who, exactly, was St. Valentine, as there were at least two or three St. Valentines, or more. It is believed by some that two of them were executed by Emperor Claudius II on February 14 of different years.

Others believe at least two were both the same person. He (they) was honored by the Roman Catholic Church with the St. Valentine’s Day religious feast observation until 1969, when he was removed from the General Roman Calendar due to lack of reliable information about him. However, St. Valentine’s Day continues to be observed by lovers the world around.

One legend claims that Claudius II believed soldiers that were single made better soldiers, so he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine disagreed, and continued to perform weddings, resulting in his execution.

Others believe Valentine was executed for helping Christians escape from harsh Roman prisons.

A different legend has Valentine falling in love with the daughter of his jailer, who visited with him in prison. One version says he even cured the daughter’s blindness. According to this questionable tale, Valentine allegedly wrote her a letter just before his execution that was signed, “from your Valentine.”

Another group believes that, instead of commemorating the date of St. Valentine(s) execution, the date was instead purposely held in mid-February to replace the pagan celebration known as the “Feast of Lupercalia” that ran from February 13 to 15. As part of this festival, ancient Roman priests would sacrifice a goat for fertility, and a dog for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips that were dipped in the sacrificial blood. The priest would then take to the streets slapping women and crop fields with the leather, believing this would make them more fertile over the next year. The women would line up for this “blessing.”

The legend says that the young women would also place their names in an urn, and then the bachelors would each draw a name. The pair would then stay coupled for the rest of the celebration.

The more romantic link to Valentine’s day we observe today is credited to a poem titled “The Parliament of Fowls” written by medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer in 1375. The poem refers to the believe that Valentine’s Day is when every bird (fowl) chooses their mate.

The Roman god of love, Cupid, has evolved into the arrow shooting infant with wings. This could be in reference to the fouls in Chaucer’s poem.

The earliest known use of the word “valentine” for a person is in a 1477 letter written by Margery Brews calling her fiancé John Paston her “right well-beloved valentine.”

Valentine’s Day as we know it today began taking shape in the mid-1800’s when advances in printing press technology made the mass production of Valentine’s Day cards possible. The heart, which symbolizes the seat of emotion, became a popular item on these cards.

In 1868 the British chocolate company Cadbury created Fancy Boxes, the first heart shaped box of chocolates that has become synonymous with Valentine’s Day.

The fairly recent development of the internet has helped put a new spin on Valentine’s Day, with a number of new traditions now in development as the old celebration adapts to our modern technology and changing life style.