Filled with cards, candy and romance, Feb. 14 has become known to many people as a day to spend with someone special. Exactly how it became known as Valentine’s Day remains a mystery, but there are many myths attempting to explain the holiday’s origin.

One myth states it originated out of a Roman festival called Lupercalia. The day was used to call upon the Roman god Lupercus, who the Romans asked to protect them from wolves. They held a festival in his honor every year on Feb. 15.

One of the activities which took place during the festival would determine couples for the following year. Each man would draw a woman’s name out of a jar and declare that woman his valentine.

Two other myths relate to two different St. Valentines within the Christian church. One priest named Valentine is said to have disobeyed a Roman emperor’s order to not marry young couples because single men made better warriors. Valentine secretly married the couples.

Another myth states Valentine was a friend of many children. He was imprisoned because he refused to worship the Roman gods. The children began to miss him and threw flowers and sentimental notes to him through the bars of his cell window.

There is evidence which says that St. Valentine was executed on Feb. 14 around A.D. 269, and in 496, Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day.

The earliest English records relating to Valentine’s Day describe how birds used to choose their mates on Feb. 14. Lovers decided to use the same day to show their love for one another. Men who were imprisoned in the Tower of London during the 1400s are recorded as sending love letters to their wives on Feb. 14. Also, both Shakespeare and Chaucer mention St. Valentine’s Day in some of their works.

Manufactured valentines appeared in England during the 1700s in the form of “valentine writers.” These books contained poems and suggestions which people would borrow to decorate their valentines. Commercial valentines were invented in the 1800s and were decorated cards that were blank inside, so senders could write their own messages.

Today, children send valentines to one another to show friendship as well as love. They celebrate the holiday by making their own valentines or buying valentines that are distributed during a classroom party.

Although the exact reason for the origin of Valentine’s Day is not known, most people believe it is a combination of the myths as well as a day marking the beginning of spring—a season well known for romance.