when did valentine's day become a holiday

Valentine’s Day gradually became a “holiday” rather than being declared one at a single moment in time.

Quick Scoop: Key Moments

• Late 3rd century A.D. – A Christian bishop named Valentine is believed to have been martyred on February 14; the date later became his feast day in the church calendar.

• Late 5th century (around A.D. 496) – Pope Gelasius I establishes St. Valentine’s Day as a Christian feast day, likely replacing the older Roman fertility festival Lupercalia.

• 14th century – Writers like Geoffrey Chaucer begin linking St. Valentine’s Day with romantic love, turning the feast into a romantic celebration rather than just a saint’s day.

• 1400s–1700s – Exchanging love notes on February 14 becomes popular in parts of Europe; by the 1500s written “valentines” appear, and by the 1700s printed cards are in use.

• Mid‑1800s – Commercial Valentine’s Day cards are mass‑produced in the United States, cementing it as a widely celebrated cultural holiday focused on gifts, cards, and romance.

So, when did it “become a holiday”?

• As a religious feast day : late 5th century, when the church formally commemorated St. Valentine on February 14.

• As a romantic love holiday : by the late Middle Ages , especially from the 14th–15th centuries onward, with poetry, love letters, and later cards.

• As a modern commercial celebration : solidified in the 19th century with mass‑produced valentines, candy, and flowers.

One extra twist: Valentine’s Day has never been an official public holiday (like Christmas or New Year’s Day) in most major countries; it’s a cultural and commercial holiday that people choose to celebrate rather than a day when governments close offices.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.