Sometimes we participate in celebrations without understanding their origins.
This information came from Mr Handyman in my mailbox.
In and around 270 AD, young men were desiring to avoid joining the Roman army. At that time, going to war could be a time commitment of 10 to 20 years. Young men were desiring to stay home, marry, and raise families. In the name of securing the Roman empire, the emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine was a priest who continued to conduct marriages for young men, an act which was now illegal. For breaking the law in this way, he was arrested, tried, convicted, and executed. The execution is purported to have taken place on February 14th.
It is also purported that while Valentine was awaiting execution, he fell in love with a young women (perhaps the jailers daughter) and left her a love letter signed "From your Valentine", which started the tradition of Valentine gifts.
The date of February 14th also coincides with a pre-Christian celebration known as Lupercalia, which was a fertility celebration that started on the ides of February (the 15th), and often resulted in marriages.
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