Valentine’s Day is a holiday that gives us the opportunity to show love to one another every year on February 14.

   The origins of Valentine’s Day stem from a Christian feast honoring Saint Valentine. Valentine fought for the rights of young men in the Catholic Church to love after Emperor Claudius II of Rome outlawed marriage among them. Claudius claimed “single men made bet-ter soldiers than those with wives and families,” according to History.com. When Claudius discovered the actions of Valentine, he ordered the Saint to be sentenced to death.

   The feasts commemorating Valentine occurred a day before the Ides of February. This date was allegedly chosen in order to make the celebration of Lupercalia more Christian friendly. During Lupercalia, Roman priests called Luperci made sacrifices in order to gain fertility and purification.

   Another figure holding importance to Valentine’s Day is Cupid. Cupid, also referred to as Eros, is the Greek god of love. Greek poets described Cupid as a handsome man who helped young men fall in love by shooting them with his golden arrow. On the opposite end, Cupid used lead arrows to cause separation.

   In modern times, people express their love to others with gifts rather than feasts celebrating Valentine or Cupid. Common gifts that lovers present to one another include chocolate, flowers, champagne and stuffed animals.

   According to Gourmet Gift Baskets, 36 million heart-shaped chocolate boxes are sold during the Valentine’s season. For our adult readers of “The Blue and Gold,” the most popular drinks to sip on during Valentine’s Day are red wine, pink champagne and sparkling rosé.

   The most popular type of flower sold during Valentine’s season is roses. Floral Daily reports that 152 million roses were sold during the first two weeks of February 2021. CNN also reported that 51 percent of people buy red roses for the holiday.

   Valentine’s Day presents people with the perfect chance to take their love and relationships to the next level. Ten percent of couples get engaged on February 14 in the United States, the second most popular day, behind Christmas. Overall, National Jeweler estimated that jewelry sales during the 2022 Valentine’s season will reach a record $6.2 billion.

   Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to love and always has been. Putting materialism aside, we should all remember Saint Valentine and Cupid, who helped bring this loving holiday to life.