st valentine's day presentation

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

History of Valentine’s Day

By: History.com Editors

Updated: February 14, 2024 | Original: December 22, 2009

Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated every February 14; this year Valentine's Day falls on a Wednesday. Across the United States and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.

But who is this mysterious saint and where did these traditions come from? Find out about the meaning and history of Valentine’s Day, from the ancient Roman ritual of Lupercalia that welcomed spring to the card-giving customs of Victorian England.

The Legend of St. Valentine

The history of Valentine's Day—and the story of its patron saint—is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement.

Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and—most importantly—romantic figure. By the Middle Ages , perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Origins of Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Festival in February

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial—which probably occurred around A.D. 270—others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia . Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide.

Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage.

Valentine's Day Meaning: A Day of Romance and Love

Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”—at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love.

During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” writing, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt . (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

Who Is Cupid?

Cupid is often portrayed on Valentine’s Day cards as a naked cherub launching arrows of love at unsuspecting lovers. But the Roman God Cupid has his roots in Greek mythology as the Greek god of love, Eros. Accounts of his birth vary; some say he is the son of Nyx and Erebus; others, of Aphrodite and Ares; still others suggest he is the son of Iris and Zephyrus or even Aphrodite and Zeus (who would have been both his father and grandfather).

According to the Greek Archaic poets, Eros was a handsome immortal played with the emotions of Gods and men, using golden arrows to incite love and leaden ones to sow aversion. It wasn’t until the Hellenistic period that he began to be portrayed as the mischievous, chubby child he’d become on Valentine’s Day cards.

Valentine’s Day Greetings and Gifts

In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. 

By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”

Today, according to Hallmark, an estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year (more cards are sent at Christmas ).

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

Valentine's Day Presentation Templates

Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to express your love and appreciation to your significant other, friends and even family. Create a personalized Valentine's Day presentation in a creative and fun way to showcase your affection and make the day even more special.

Other presentation templates

• Pitch decks
• User persona
• Brand guidelines
• Professional
• Group project
• Book report
• Mother's day
• Father's day
• Visual chart
• Architecture
• Social media
• Advertising

Valentine's Day Presentation Design Templates

Popular template categories

• Infographics
• White papers
• Letterheads
• Newsletters
• Business cards
• Human resources
• Certificates
• Invitations
• Table of contents
• Magazine covers
• Price lists
• Album covers
• Book covers
• See All Templates

•  All topics A-Z
•  Grammar
•  Vocabulary
•  Speaking
•  Reading
•  Listening
•  Writing
•  Pronunciation
•  Virtual Classroom
• Worksheets by season
•  600 Creative Writing Prompts
•  Warmers, fillers & ice-breakers
•  Coloring pages to print
•  Flashcards
•  Classroom management worksheets
•  Emergency worksheets
•  Revision worksheets
• Resources we recommend
• Copyright 2007-2021 пїЅ
• Submit a worksheet
• Mobile version

Register for free

St. Valentine – Patron Saint of Love PowerPoint Presentation (Valentine’s Day)

$ 4.99 Multi-licenses $ 4.39

• Valentine's Day
• Resource Type
• PowerPoint Presentations

sold by A+ HomeTutoring

View shop page

Item Details

Digital Download

INSTANT DOWNLOAD Files will be available for download from your account once payment is confirmed. Learn more . Please contact the seller about any problems with your order using the question button below the description.

Item description

Dive into the  enchanting world of St. Valentine and Valentine’s Day   with this engaging presentation tailored for students in grades 3-5 . This is a  PowerPoint presentation  about the life and times of St. Valentine , followed by thought-provoking  comprehension questions  that target essential skills such as main idea, supporting details, inference, prediction, summarization, and more. 

Immerse your students in the  tales of kindness, love, and historical significance   surrounding St. Valentine and the traditions of Valentine’s Day. Ideal for classroom instruction or homeschool lessons, this presentation is a valuable tool to  inspire curiosity, promote literacy, and celebrate the spirit of Valentine’s Day . 

Here are some other A+ HomeTutoring Resources:

*  St. Valentine Activity Packet

*   President’s Day Activity Packet

* *  Martin Luther King Story & Activities Gr. K-2

*  Martin Luther King Story & Activities Gr. 3-5

*  MLK & Parks Mini Unit

*  Black History Month Coloring Packet

*  Black History Month Comprehension Passages Gr. 2-5

*  Black History Month Comprehension Passages Vol. 2

*  Martin Luther King PowerPoint Presentation

*  25 Famous… Black People in History

*  15 Famous… Black Men You Should Know

*  15 Famous… Black Women You Should Know

Go to   A+ HomeTutoring   to see my Blogs and Vlogs on all things literacy for hearing, deaf, and hard-of-hearing students.

Make  learning memorable and meaningful  with this delightful exploration of St. Valentine’s life and the enduring traditions that warm our hearts each February.

Literacy | Nonfiction | Biography | St. Valentine | Worksheets | Saints | Printable | February | Saint Valentine | Comprehension | Word Search | Fill in the Blank | History | Valentine’s Day I Vocabulary I Coloring Pages I Reading Comprehension I Faith-Based I Christian I Catholic I Religion I

From the same author

American northwestern tribes powerpoint presentation.

by A+ HomeTutoring

Help students build background knowledge and explore areas of interest. This Power Point includes 44 visual appealing slides perfect for history lessons and a companion to the "American Northeastern Tribes Presentation" and  "Thanksgiving 1621…

• Social Studies – History
• U.S. History

Black History Month Activities Bundle K-5

This resource will help you introduce your students to various figures in Black history. Students will enjoy learning important information about each person. This bundle has reading passages, comprehension questions, coloring…

• Kindergarten
• Black History Month
• Language Arts
• Literacy Centers

Diphthong Posters, Clip Cards, & Sorting Activities

Diphthongs (Diff-thongs) are gliding vowels, where the sound begins as one vowel sound and moves to another vowel sound. When the vowels glide together, they make a unique sound. Diphthongs…

• ELD – ESL – EFL
• Special Education

ASL Colors Flashcards B/W & Color Boarders

Introducing Colors Flashcards – the perfect education resource for students in grades K-3. These engaging flashcards are designed to introduce American Sign Language (ASL) in a fun and accessible way,…

• Not Grade Specific

Spring Themed Reading Logs FREEBIE

Introducing this FREE Reading Logs resource, designed to inspire a love for reading while providing students with a convenient way to track their reading progress! Reading Logs are an invaluable tool for…

• Free Resources

Bedrock Vocabulary Practice YR1 WK1 – Google Slides™

Do you want an opportunity to increase your D/HH students' vocabulary knowledge using memorable visuals, ASL signs, and written English words? Are you currently using the Bedrock Vocabulary Curriculum in…

• Internet Activities

Got any suggestions?

We want to hear from you! Send us a message and help improve Slidesgo

Top searches

Trending searches

15 templates

49 templates

11 templates

39 templates

150 templates

ottoman empire

21 templates

Valentine's Day Minitheme

It seems that you like this template, valentine's day minitheme presentation, free google slides theme, powerpoint template, and canva presentation template.

Our minithemes offer a more compact experience with fewer number of slides, but that doesn't mean that this one for Valentine's Day carries less love for our users! We put much care into each design, and you'll realize how wonderful this one is! We've opted for different tones of purple this time, backgrounds that contain clouds and hearts, and illustrations of couples and cherubs (maybe all of them are Cupid!). Look at the lovely typography that we've used too! Now we can't wait to see what stories about Saint Valentine you have for us!

Features of this template

• 100% editable and easy to modify
• 21 different slides to impress your audience
• Contains easy-to-edit graphics such as graphs, maps, tables, timelines and mockups
• Includes 500+ icons and Flaticon’s extension for customizing your slides
• Designed to be used in Google Slides, Canva, and Microsoft PowerPoint
• 16:9 widescreen format suitable for all types of screens
• Includes information about fonts, colors, and credits of the resources used

How can I use the template?

Am I free to use the templates?

How to attribute?

Attribution required If you are a free user, you must attribute Slidesgo by keeping the slide where the credits appear. How to attribute?

Related posts on our blog.

How to Add, Duplicate, Move, Delete or Hide Slides in Google Slides

How to Change Layouts in PowerPoint

How to Change the Slide Size in Google Slides

Related presentations.

Premium template

Unlock this template and gain unlimited access

Register for free and start editing online