One thing we know for sure is that Valentine’s Day has been around for ages and that February has been the month of love for just as long.

According to HISTORY.com, the story behind Valentine’s Day is that Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families so he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, a priest who served during the third century in Rome, realized the injustice of the decree and defied Claudius. He continued to marry these men and their lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial– which occurred around A.D. 270.

Others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.

Though there are two versions of how Valentine’s Day became a thing, only one explains why it is a day of love. During the middle ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of bird’s mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day of romance.