The most credible version of the history of Valentine’s day can be traced back to third century Rome and the reign of Emperor Claudius the second. The emperor thrived on war, but his people eventually grew weary and refused to fight. Married men in particular did their best to stay out of the army. When the emperor decreed that there would be no more marriages, a young Roman Catholic priest named Valentine started performing secret marriages. Claudius called Valentine’s marriages “acts of treason” and had the priest put to death. Since then, Saint Valentine has been recognized as a martyr who sacrificed himself in the name of true love.

Christians celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, or the Feast of St. Valentine. The day celebrated annually on February 14th started as a Western Christian feast honoring early saints named Valentinus. It’s now a major cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love. St. Valentine of Rome was recognized for his martyrdom for being sent to prison after performing weddings for soldiers, who were forbidden to marry. He was also known for ministering to Christians who were persecuted by the Roman Empire.

There could be record Valentine’s Day Spending in 2026. The National Retail Federation is predicting people in U.S. will set a new spending record of $29.1 billion. That’s a billion dollars more than the record set last year.

The top places people will spend their money are online, followed by department stores and florists. A little more than half of consumers say they’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day this year.

If you are looking for a place that sounds romantic, you could try Valentine, Nebraska. The Census Bureau says the town of around 28 hundred is one of two places called Valentine in the country. The other is in Texas with a population of around 127. There are nine places with love in their name. They include Loveland, Colorado; Lovejoy, Georgia; Lovelock, Nevada and Lovelady, Texas. There are four places with heart in the name including Heart Butte, Montana; Sacred Heart, Minnesota; South Heart, North Dakota and Heartwell, Nebraska. The population of each is less than one thousand.

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