Luper-what?

The origin of Valentine’s Day stems from a pagan festival in ancient Rome called Lupercalia, At this raucous and bloody event held every year from February 13 to 15, men would spank young maidens with goat- or dog-skin whips in the hopes of increasing their fertility, according to classics professor Noel Lenski of the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Lupercalia remained wildly popular well into the fifth century A.D.—at least 150 years after Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Recognizing the tradition was popular with people, the Christian church began associating the Lupercalia festival to the legend of St. Valentine.

According to the story, in the third century A.D. Roman Emperor Claudius II, seeking to bolster his army, forbade young men to marry. Valentine, it is said, defied the ban, performing marriages in secret. As punishment, Valentine was executed in A.D. 270—on February 14, the day we celebrate Valentine’s Day today.

Valentine’s Day today

So how do we celebrate Valentine’s Day in modern times? Thankfully, the flogging is a thing of the past. Most people spend time with their loved one by going out to dinner or they buy a gift to express their admiration.

Consumers are expected to spend $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day this year, up from $23.9 billion in 2022 and one of the highest spending years on record, according to the annual survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

More than half (52%) of consumers plan to celebrate and will spend an average of $192.80. This is up from $175.41 in 2022, and the second-highest figure since NRF and Prosper started tracking Valentine’s Day spending in 2004.