Hanna Obacz, left, age 8, and Gwendalynn Bowman, age 7, members of Baker Youth Club, get an early start on their valentines with coloring sheets. While many believe Hallmark started Valentine’s Day as a way to sell cards, the holiday actually began in ancient Rome.

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Valentine’s Day is big business. In 2013 Valentine’s Day sales reached $17.6 billion according to the market research firm IBIS World. However, the holiday isn’t the marketing ploy many believe it is.

No it is not a “Hallmark Holiday” as many believe. It’s easy to understand why, when heart shaped boxes of chocolates showed up on store shelves between Christmas and New Year’s. In fact, the celebration of Valentine’s Day dates back to ancient Rome.

There are several legends about how the Romans celebrated. Feb. 14 was observed as a day to honor Juno, queen of Roman gods and goddesses. She was also the goddess of women and marriage. The following day, a fertility festival called Lupercalia was celebrated where young boys and girls were matched by the boys pulling the name of a girl out of a jar. The pair were matched either for the duration of the festival or in some instances for an entire year. Often the pair would fall in love and later marry.

There are several legends about how the festival got its name from a priest or bishop named Valentine who defied Emperor Claudius II by marrying young couples. Claudius was involved in many bloody conflicts and had problems finding men to fight. Believing it was because the men did not want to leave their wives and families, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements.

When it was discovered Valentine was secretly marrying couples, he was beaten and put to death Feb. 14 sometime around 270 AD.

Another legend states Valentine was Bishop of Intermna (Terni today) in the third century. Stories of his holiness and miracles reached Roam. He was believed to have been executed by Placidus, Perfect of Interanma. Every year Feb. 14, the town of Terni hosts fairs, exhibitions and cultural events celebrating its favorite saint.

Valentine’s Day was linked to romantic love during the middle ages. In England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries, it was believed birds began mating Feb. 14, so it was celebrated as a day of love and romance.

The first known Valentine’s Day card is said to have been written by Charles, Duke of Orleans in 1415 for his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt. People would exchange hand written cards, but in the 19th century, mass-produced greeting cards came to the marketplace.

Gradually exchanging valentines was no longer limited to couples in love as cards were sent to teachers, siblings, friends and parents.

One of the more recent traditions is buying one’s beloved gifts such as flowers, chocolates and teddy bears. Fine jewelry has also become popular due to the marketing strategies of the diamond industry.

Along with gifts, the day has also become popular for couples to go out for romantic dinners or dances.

In schools in the U.S. and Canada, students usually exchange cards with their friends.

So Valentine’s Day was not invented by card companies as a way to sell their merchandise.

Christian Lucio, age 8, a member of Baker Youth Club, works on a coloring page highlighting Valentine’s Day. There are several legends about how celebrating Valentine’s Day got started, sending mass produced cards gained popularity in the 19th century.