Every year, on February 14, people all around the world show their love with chocolates, flowers, letters, and gifts. But as we decorate with roses and hearts, what are we truly celebrating? Where did it all begin? Does the red coloring of our decor represent the love we share or the blood that was shed?

St. Valentine, the namesake of the love holiday, is said to have been two men. The first, a Roman priest, secretly performed marriages to save men from having to go to war. After he was caught and arrested, while in prison, he was said to have restored the sight of a blind girl living in the house. The miracle convinced the entire household to convert to Christianity, except for Valentine who refused to abandon his religion and was then sentenced to death. Before his execution on February 14, St. Valentine is said to have sent the blind girl a letter signed “Your Valentine”, sparking the tradition we practice today. The other St. Valentine, the Bishop of Terni, is credited with similar actions, including the secret weddings and miraculous healings. The Bishop also suffered an execution on February 14, making the two Valentines so similar that historians wonder if they were actually the same person.

So, is this February holiday celebrating love, or the gruesome martyrdom of its namesake? The New York Times asked this same question decades ago, finding no luck and describing it as “one of those mysterious historical or antiquarian problems which are doomed never to be solved.”

One of the most likely possible explanations for the holiday is that Roman men began celebrating the execution of St. Valentine by pulling the names of suitable young women from an ern to “court” for the day and the successful matches would win the festival competitions. It wasn’t until centuries later that we abandoned the celebration of the martyr’s death and instead focused on the joy of love.

While modern times depict the holiday as one of happiness, love, and togetherness, the gruesome truth is something we often forget. Hidden in the hearts, flowers, and chocolate on this day of romance lies a dark, grim past of bloodshed, not love shared.