While you’re with your special someone this Valentine’s Day or crying in your room with a box of chocolates you bought yourself, your tradition is nothing compared to the pagan’s ancient rituals.
Valentine’s Day was rumored to have started in the 6th century B.C. with a pagan festival called Lupercalia. According to NBC Washington, the festival, held annually between February 13 and 15 in ancient Rome, was “intended to purify the city and facilitate fertility, but it fostered ominous rituals, including sacrificing animals and beating women.”