Valentine’s Day, also called 

St. Valentine’s
Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings
and gifts. Given their similarities, it has been suggested that the holiday has
origins in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival,
which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing
off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius
I forbid the celebration of Lupercalia and is sometimes attributed with
replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day, but the true origin of the holiday is vague
at best. Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance
until about the 14th century.
Legend of St.Valentine
Common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s orders and
secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. It is for this
reason that his feast day is associated with love.
How is it celebrated?
Valentine’s Day is commonly celebrated by exchanging handmade or store-
bought “Valentines” (greeting cards) or other tokens of affection like
chocolates and flowers.
While the custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts
originated in the UK, Valentine's Day still remains connected with various
regional customs in England. In Norfolk, a character called 'Jack' Valentine
knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children.
Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical
person.
In the UK, just under half of the population spends money on their
Valentines and around £1.3 billion is spent yearly on cards, flowers,
chocolates, and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent.
Also called
 Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine
Observed by
 People in many countries
 Anglican Communion
  Lutheran Church
 Traditionalist Catholicism
Type
 Christian, romantic, cultural, commercial observance
Significance
 Feast day of Saint Valentine; the celebration of love and affection
Observances
 Sending greeting cards and gifts, dating, church services, novenas
Date
 February 14 (fixed by the Western Christian Church)
 July 6 (fixed by the Eastern Orthodox Church)
 July 30 (fixed by the Eastern Orthodox Church)