Have you ever thought about Valentine’s Day, how it started, and why it even exists?

You may think of it as a holiday to celebrate love, but there’s a lot more to it. These facts might help you learn how it became the holiday we know today.

Valentine’s Day started as a “Catholic Feast Day” celebrating early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, but there’s actually confusion around which St. Valentine the holiday honors. Saint Valentine of Rome and Saint Valentine of Terni were both executed by Roman Emperor Claudius II, but historians are not sure if they were separate people

Valentine’s Day didn’t become all about romantic love until the 14th and 15th centuries. During the Middle Ages, people believed that birds started their mating season around the time of the holiday, and couples would be compared to these “love birds” of the early spring.

But lovebirds are actual birds and got their names because they show strong affection, so their behavior soon became a metaphor for couples who have affection for each other. Lovebirds are a species of parrot that is native to Africa.

In England during the 18-century, Valentine’s Days tarted to grow more into something where couples would express their love for each other by giving flowers, candy, and sending cards (now known as “Valentines”).

Americans send 145 million Valentine’s Day cards each year and that is not including all the kids’ Valentines that are traded in classroom parties.

Valentine’s Day is about more than just human couples!

American spent about $751.3 million on gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day in 2020 according to Finder.com. Around 27.6 million Americans gave Valentine’s Day presents to their pet dogs in 2020, and more than 17.1 million picked up gifts for their cats.