How did Valentine’s Day start?

The origin of Valentine’s Day is unclear but is often linked to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a mid-February celebration of spring that involved fertility rites and the pairing of men and women by lottery. In the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I banned Lupercalia and is sometimes credited with replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day. The holiday did not become associated with romance until the 14th century.