Valentine's Day Costumes & Accessories. Valentine's Day Costumes & Accessories. Valentine or Valentinus, is the name of at least two celebrated saints. The most celebrated are the two martyrs whose festivals fall on February 14, the one, a Roman priest, the other, bishop of Terni. Many authorities believe that the lovers' festival associated with St. Valentine's Day comes from the belief that this is the day in spring when birds begin their mating. One of the amusements on this festival day was the placing of young women's names in a box to be drawn out by the young men. Each young man accepted the girl whose name he drew, as his lady love. Paper valentines date back to the 1500's but it took the enterprise of America to make a buck at it. Esther A. Holland, who produced one of the first American commercial Valentines in the 1840's sold $5,000 worth - when $5,000 was a LOT of money - in the first year.