- Today, February 14, 2025 marks another Valentine's Day across the world
- While many celebrate the popular day, a large part of the story behind this celebration remains shrouded in mystery
- TheRadar explored some history and stories that gave birth to the popular Valentine's Day
For years, Valentine's Day has become a global celebration of love and romance across the world. Have you ever paused to ask; how it all started?
From flowers to gifts, love is exchanged and expressed between lovers, friends and loved ones all in the name of Valentine's Day.
What makes this day special? What is the fuss about all this day? Where did all these traditions come from? TheRadar explores everything you need to know about Valentine’s Day.
The story of Saint Valentine
While the History of Valentine's Day still remains largely shrouded in mystery, the role of St. Valentine is a crucial part. How did he become associated with the ancient rite?
Legend stories opined that Saint Valentine was a Catholic priest, who served during the third century in Rome. It was reported that the Emperor Claudius II decided that single men would be better off at war compared to married men. The Emperor was said to have outlawed marriage for young men.
Realising the injustice, Saint Valentine defied the Emperor’s decree by conducting secret marriages for young couples. When luck ran out for Saint Valentine and the Emperor discovered his actions, he was given a death sentence. He was beheaded.
Another story of Saint Valentine documented that the priest was killed for helping Christians escape the harsh Roman prison. According to a legend, an imprisoned Valentine was the first to send a ‘valentine’ message after he fell in love with a girl who visited him during his imprisonment.
The story holds that before he died, he actually sent a letter to her signed “From Your Valentine” — a term that has become popularised in today's celebration of Valentine’s Day.
Despite the sketchy and shrouded history of Saint Valentine's story, many of the myths, however, recognised him as a heroic, sympathetic and romantic figure.
Valentine's day celebrates love and romance
During the Middle Ages, it was believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of the mating season for birds.
This was said to have also influenced the decision of celebrating it as a day of love and romance. The English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day is a day of romantic celebration.
Over decades, Valentine's Day has become a global day for the celebration of love. It makes it a tradition for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection, gift cards or handwritten notes.
According to Hallmark, an estimated 145 million Valentine's Day cards are sent every year, making it the second-largest card-sending day aside from Christmas.
Valentine's Day celebration in Nigeria
As the world celebrates Valentine’s Day, Nigeria is not exempted from the buzz and expression of love. Every February 14 Nigerians join in the celebration of love even though it is not recognised as a national holiday.
In the midst of their work and busy schedules, lovers find ways to make the day special for their loved ones.
A 2023 report by Premium Times captured that Nigeria was among the Top countries searching for love on Google.
The data analysis showed Nigerians searching for trends related to love and dating on Valentine’s Day. On the other hand, a recent Business Insider Africa report suggested that Nigerians are motivated by discounts on Valentine's Day rather than the need to celebrate the day.
As today, February 14, marks another Valentine's Day in Nigeria, the celebration of the global love tradition continues especially on social media.
6 Nigerians share their bittersweet Valentine's Day experience
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that from the “Awwnnns,” to “Am I a potato?” and “God Whens,” gangs, Valentine’s Day never fails to engulf the atmosphere with its buzz and love stories.
From the mundane to the heartwarming and funny stories, TheRadar asked six Nigerians to share their Valentine's Day experiences and Here's what they said.
