Valentine's Day  

The holiday’s roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15, Pope Gelasius 1 recast this pagan festival asd a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St.Valentine's Day.Over the centuries, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging handmade cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Handmade valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts eventually spread to the American colonies. The tradition of Valentine's cards did not become widespread in the United States, however, until the 1850s, when Esther A. Howland, a Mount Holyoke graduate and native of Worcester, Mass., began mass-producing them. Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are valentines.