On February 14, or as we all know it, Valentine’s Day is a day where people celebrate love, friendship and admiration.

Valentine’s Day is thought to come from the Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine and through later folk traditions, it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.  The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14.

Since the 19th century, handmade cards have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. Fancy Valentines were made with real lace and ribbons, with paper lace introduced in the mid-19th century.  In 1868, the British chocolate company Cadbury created Fancy Boxes – a decorated box of chocolates – in the shape of a heart for Valentine’s Day.  That has become the norm in the present day.  The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US. Half of those valentines are given to family members other than husband or wife, usually to children. When the valentine-exchange cards made in school activities are included the figure goes up to 1 billion, and teachers become the people receiving the most valentines.

Valentine’s day has changed over the years and we celebrate it very differently than we did when the holiday was declared. But there are still things from the original holiday that we bring to today.  However, most celebrate by spending time with our significant others and going on romantic dates or maybe watching romantic movies. Buying gifts like chocolates, teddy bears, flowers or even jewelry has turned into a huge holiday that millions of people celebrate every year and billions of dollars are spent on gifts.  It is an amazing day that people love and can not wait for every year because who doesn’t love, love?