Many colorful sugar hearts on pink background with copy space
It’s the sweetest time of year for sweethearts (Picture: Getty)
The power of love is universally accepted to be something that can move mountains, part seas and lift us up where we belong – there’s been at least two songs dedicated to its power, after all.
And on Valentine’s Day, people celebrate that love a little bit louder than normal. A day where even the biggest cynic might succumb to the romance.
As people plan to celebrate with their significant others, the cost of living crisis shouldn’t dissuade couples from putting some time in for themselves – with these cheap date ideas and the best meal deals for a special night at home.
You might have given thought on how to celebrate, but have you thought about why? When did Valentine’s Day start and who was St Valentine, the person who gives the date its name?
Who?
The day gets its name from the famous saint, but there are several stories of who he was.
Sts Sylvester and Valentine, Taisten
Saint Sylvester 
and Saint Valentine 
. (Picture: Getty)
The widely accepted and popular belief is that St Valentine was a priest from Rome who lived in the third century and is thought to have died around 270 AD.
At the time, Emperor Claudius II had banned marriages as he thought single men made better soldiers.
However, St Valentine took it upon himself to arrange and perform marriages in secret so couples could still celebrate their love.
What happened to St Valentine?
Unfortunately, the Emperor found out and imprisoned Valentine, sentencing him to death for his crime.
One account suggests that, whilst imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and on the day of his execution (February 14) he sent her a love letter signed ‘from your Valentine
What happened to St Valentine?
Unfortunately, the Emperor found out and imprisoned Valentine, sentencing him to death for his crime.
One account suggests that, whilst imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and on the day of his execution (February 14) he sent her a love letter signed ‘from your Valentine.’
Where is St Valentine buried?
Love is all around – and, somewhat less romantically, so are the remains of St Valentine.
St. Valentine, the patron saint of love, was executed in Rome and buried there in the 3rd century, as previously mentioned.
However, in 1835 an Irish priest, Father John Spratt, convinced Pope Gregory XVI to dig up St. Valentine’s remains and take them home as a gift to his fellow Irishmen and women.
St. Valentine's resting place in Dublin
A chapel in Dublin claims to be (one of) the final resting places for St Valentine. (Picture: Getty Images)
So his remains now lie under Whitefriar Church in Dublin.
Except… it’s also thought that a flower-crowned skull is that of St Valentine’s, and this is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome.
And it doesn’t end there. It is thought that some of St Valentine’s remains are in Scotland.
In Glasgow, the church of the Blessed John Duns Scotus also claim ownership of some of the bones of St Valentine.
How did Valentine’s Day start?
Valentine’s Day is said to have originated from a Roman Festival known as Lupercalia, according to History.com, with the first Valentine’s Day thought to have taken place in the year 496.
It was held on February 15 as a festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman God of agriculture.
Lupercales, young priests during feast
The traditions of Valentine’s Day thought to date back to Ancient Rome. (Picture:Getty Images)
It’s thought that as part of the celebrations, boys drew names of girls from a box.
Interestingly, they would be boyfriend and girlfriend during the festival and sometimes these matches would lead to marriage.
Later on, the church wanted to turn this festival into a Christian celebration and decided to use it to remember St Valentine too.
Lupercalia continued for some time but was outlawed at the end of the 5th century when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St Valentine’s Day.
MORE: Feasting on the food of love: Sweet treats for Valentine’s Day
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6 comments
I've been celebrating it with my ex for about 5 years now, but I'd never give up the opportunity to let anyone most special in my life to let them know how much I care about them.
Steak and BlowJob Day!
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Skincare is a form of self care and self love. Whether you have a date in the diary for Valentine’s Day, or want to spend quality time taking care of yourself, 47 Skin can oblige.
The beauty brand has plenty of items to shop, which contain the brand’s signature Silver Chitoderm® ingredient that has anti-bacterial properties to combat any breakouts brewing under the skin, as well as heal existing blemishes.
47 Skin’s Anti-Blemish and Scar Repair Serum has garnered high praise from shoppers, so much so it has been hailed a “life changing treatment”.
However, there are plenty of products worth having on your radar. Whether you are a fan of the brand, want to stock up on more of your favourite buys, or intend to trial new items from 47 Skin, there are plenty of Valentine’s Day bundles to cater to every shoppers needs.
To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Palatine’s Day or Galentine’s Day, 47 Skin has curated three exclusive skincare bundles that are only available to shop for a limited time.
sets include The Perfect Pair, Cupid’s Glow Trio and The All-In Love bundles, which have all been reduced by 10% to make February 14th even more special, though no discount code is needed.
The Perfect Pair bundle from 47 Skin
The Perfect Pair
The Perfect Pair, features 47 Skin’s Anti-Blemish and Scar Repair Cleanser and the brand’s best-selling Serum. The set helps to create a simple, yet thorough skincare routine.Use the cleanser to remove stubborn make-up and grime, before hydrating the skin with the lightweight serum, which works to nourish the skin, as well as repair and reduce breakouts thanks to the Silver Chitoderm ingredient.
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Cupid’s Glow Trio bundle from 47 Skin
Cupid’s Glow Trio
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The All-In Love bundle from 47 Skin
The All-In Love Bundle
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The products contain 47 Skin’s signature ingredient, Silver Chitoderm, which is a blend of silver and chitoderm, that strengthens the skin’s barrier to protect against environmental aggressors, as well as kill 99.9% of bacteria that can contribute to blemishes. It also reduces pigmentation and scarring, while also hydrating the skin, hence why the brand is hugely popular for those with problematic skin.
One users before and after pictures from using 47 Skin on her acne
WOW! Just look how this one user’s skin cleared up from a 47 Skin routine. (Picture: Metro/Linkby/47 Skin)
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Lifestyle: How should you handle Valentine?s Day if you?ve just started dating?
First Valentine’s Day together? Tricky terrain!
Valentine’s Day is a very special occasion designed to celebrate love – and totally, completely, utterly cause panic.
If you’re newly coupled up, the pressure sets in. You have to get the perfect gift and arrange the most romantic possible night.
And when you’re not quite coupled up but not quite single, when you’re dating, or you’ve just met someone new, the looming presence of Valentine’s Day is absolute torture.
Are you supposed to do romantic stuff? Is it appropriate to buy stuff with hearts on if you haven’t said ‘I love you’ yet? Should you expect something? What if they’re expecting a gift from you and you’ve done nothing?
IT’S ALL TOO STRESSFUL.
The answer to stress, we reckon, is an agreed-upon set of rules. Rules you can refer back to in case you and the person you’re kind of, sort of seeing have a mismatch in Valentine’s Day expectations and actions.
So. Here’s our guide to dealing with the weirdness.
If you didn’t celebrate Christmas, you don’t need to celebrate Valentine’s Day
Christmas celebration in London West End
Weren’t together over the festive period? Then it’s too early for Valentine’s Day, experts say (Picture: Getty Images)
Dating expert Charly Lester told Metro.co.uk that her rule of thumb is that if you weren’t together at Christmas – or didn’t do presents at Christmas time – then you shouldn’t expect to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
This is a brilliant rule for two reasons.
Firstly, because if you’ve dated from Christmas to Valentine’s Day, you’ve been seeing each other for at least a month and a half. Any less time than that, and you’re probably rushing into V Day romance too quickly.
And secondly, because if you didn’t exchange gifts over Christmas, you haven’t yet hit the gift-exchanging stage.
It’s an easy way to figure out the Valentine’s Day conundrum, basically, with a simple, black-and-white rule. We’re into it.
It’s about the type of dating you’ve been doing, not just how long you’ve been dating for
Project Love’s Selina Barker reckons Valentine’s Day celebrations all depend on how the new relationship is going.
‘If you’ve fallen for one another in a big way and you both know it, then you might love the opportunity to spend a day celebrating your new-found love,’ Selina told us.
‘But if you’re taking it slow and seeing how things go, then you might want to give a light-hearted nod towards Valentine’s Day – a jokingly cheesy card or a chocolate heart.’
Essentially, if you and the person you’re dating have been super mushy and romantic from the get-go, you’ll probably want to do something for Valentine’s Day.
If you’ve been keeping it casual, haven’t said the L word, and haven’t organised any romantic gestures, it’d be a bit weird to suddenly make a huge effort for Valentine’s Day.
Don’t go too big if it’s early days
If you’re unsure as to whether or not you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, but don’t want to risk upsetting the person you’re dating by giving them nothing, just pick up something small and simple.
Think a card, a bunch of flowers, or a box of chocolates.
Don’t drop a load of cash or organise a posh dinner out. The risk that they won’t get you anything in return and you’ll look really keen is too damn high.
Try not to be upset if the person you’re dating ignores Valentine’s Day entirely
woman blowing love hearts
It may be too early to acknowledge such a romantic day – think about how it’s been going so far instead (Picture: Getty Images)
If you’ve just started dating, it’s likely that they’re struggling to figure out what’s appropriate, too.
So don’t freak out and read into their lack of romantic gestures as a sign that they secretly hate you. They don’t.
Judge the relationship based on how it’s been going on all the days leading up to V Day, not just on their behaviour on the one day society tells you has to be romantic.
But don’t be the one to act like Valentine’s Day doesn’t exist
Don’t be the person who studiously pretends that they had no idea Valentine’s Day was happening. No one believes you.
If you’ve decided not to celebrate with gifts and cards (whether because you haven’t been dating for that long or you just can’t be bothered), at least send a text mentioning the day.
You can say ‘happy Valentine’s Day, btw’. Anything. Even if it’s a jokey reference.
Pretending it’s not happening makes you seem cagey.
Talk about it
Couple walking with heart-shaped balloon
Not sure what’s going on? Just ask the person you’re dating (Picture: Getty Images/Image Source)
Hey, you know the easiest way to suss out WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON on Valentine’s Day? Ask the person you’re dating.
Open up the conversation in a chilled-out, casual way. Something along the lines of ‘Valentine’s Day is coming up… is that a big day for you? Is it something you want to celebrate?’
Lester says: ‘If you’ve only been together for a few months, it’s worth discussing it with the other person.
‘Are you doing gifts? Will you be spending the day together? If you talk honestly about it, then there won’t be any awkward assumptions, or one person making far more of an effort than the other.’
Probably the wisest option
How to say Happy Valentine’s Day in different languages
Joyeux Saint-Valentin – French
Alles Gute zum Valentins Tag – German
Feliz Dia De San Valentin – Spanish
A woman and a man holding hands and a red rose
(Picture: Getty)
Feliz Dia dos Namorados – Portugese
Valentines sásta lá – Irish
Gelukkige Valentijnsdag – Dutch
Masaya Araw ng mga Puso – Filipino
Gelukkige Valentynsdag – Afrikaans
A woman arranging a bunch of red roses
(Picture: Getty)
Kekasih hari gembira – Malay
Valentine hanh phúc ngày – Vietnamese
Hamingjusamur Valentines dagur – Icelandic
Toilichte Valentines latha – Scots Gaelic
lokkiche valentynsdei – Frisian
Berries arranged into the shape of a heart
(Picture: Getty)
Dydd San Ffolant Hapus – Welsh
Valentines oaoa ra – Maori
Valentines Day faraxsan – Somali
Hyvää ystävänpäivää – Finnish
Two glasses of alcohol being clinked together
(Picture: Getty)
lycklig Alla hjärtans dag – Swedish
Valantin kè kontan jou – Haitian Creole
Valentines jum kuntenti – Maltese
Aso valentines fiafia – Samoan
Qingren jie kuaile – Mandarin
Shiawasena Barentainde – Japanese
If you want to go one step further and really impress your Valentine, why not try saying ‘I love you’ in a different language this year
Hearts from the envelope on Valentine's Day
Which Valentine’s Day quote do you like best? (Picture: Getty)
‘The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.’ – Helen Keller
‘Love is like the wind. You can’t see it, but you can feel it.’ – A Walk To Remember
‘The best thing to hold onto in life is each other’ – Audrey Hepburn
‘Because of you, I can feel myself slowly but surely becoming the me I have always dreamed of being.’– Tyler Knott Gregson
‘Love is friendship that has caught fire’ – Ann Landers
Beautiful Valentine’s Day poems
She Walks in Beauty by Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Close-Up Of Red Heart Shape On Envelope Over White Background
Perhaps express your feelings with a poem? (Picture: Getty)
How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of every day’s
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, — I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
I Carry Your Heart With Me by E.E. Cummings
Woman in warehouse with heart made of balloons
Celebrate this Valentine’s Day with a sweet message for your loved one (Picture: Getty)
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)
Simple Valentine’s Day messages for your card
‘My heart is all yours. I couldn’t ask for a better partner than you.’
‘Wishing the sweetest, happiest day to my forever Valentine.’
@Letmedothis2you Top tips for a sustainable Valentine’s Day
If left unchecked, Valentine’s Day can end up being quite a wasteful event. From oversupplying food to discarding unwanted flowers, the holiday can end up creating a lot of waste.
Fortunately, there are several ways you can help make your big day more sustainable.
Minimise food waste
If you’re planning to make your partner a lavish home-cooked romantic meal, then it’s a good idea to freeze any leftovers and save them for another day rather than letting them go to waste.
Not only does this help your day prove more sustainable, but it also provides you with an extra meal at another time, meaning you can relive your valentines dinner all over again – but remember to defrost your food properly before consuming it!
Wrap says: ‘Each year in the UK, approximately 6.6 million tonnes of food go to waste from our homes over the twelve months. So, if you are planning a sumptuous Valentine’s feast do not forget about your freezer!’
Anything you don’t want to freeze can also be recycled if your local authority provides it.
Food waste recycling compost
Food waste can also be recycled or composted. (Picture: Getty Images)
Don’t just throw away your flowers
While flowers are a wonderfully traditional romantic gift, the temptation is just to throw them away after they have stopped looking their best.
However, remember that you can always add them to your garden waste or compost them. If you are feeling particularly creative, you can even try drying them out and use them around your home as decoration or potpourri.
Recycle any packaging
Any cardboard packaging from gifts you receive can be recycled. Remember to flatten any cardboard boxes to create more room in the recycling. However, be careful about the rules for your recycling, as anything with glitter or foil on it may not be suitable.
Recycle any paper or plastic
If you receive any gifts in a cellophane wrapping (like flowers), this is not widely recycled at kerbside.
However, WRAP recommends using the Recycling Locator to see if your council accepts it.
Valentine's Day
Whether you’re exchanging cards or flowers, your Valentine’s Day gifts can be more sustainable than you think. (Picture: Getty Images)
WRAP also says: ‘Over 5,000 supermarkets across the UK now accept plastics bags and wrapping, which you can take this type of plastic to for recycling. For any wrapping paper, as long as it’s not foil or covered in glitter, and passes the ‘scrunch test’, it can be recycled at your kerbside.’
Look at recycling any cans or tins
Whether you’re using chopped tomatoes in your all-important pasta sauce or breaking out a cheeky premixed cocktail can while you are cooking, steel and aluminium food and drink cans can be recycled by most authorities.
The same is also true of any tin foil you have left over, as long as it’s relatively clean.
Choose sustainable travel
If you’re heading out for drinks or dinner, try to choose a sustainable mode of travel, whether it’s public transport or even going for a good ol’ romantic walk rather than driving.
An added bonus of leaving the car at home is that an extra glass (or two) of prosecco can be enjoyed by both you and your partner without any guilt about one of your having to be on driving duties.
Young hipster couple walking down the street, smiling, enjoying on nice weather, holding their hands. Satisfied and relaxed, happy because of fine Autumn day.
Leaving the car behind can be just one way to make your Valentine’s day more sustainable. (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Look for sustainable gifts
Whether you are choosing a gift hamper or a pamper kit, shop around for the most sustainable version of whatever you plan to buy