Valentine's
Day History
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| 14th Feb : Valentine's Day |
There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some
experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred
for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the
same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St.
Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his
friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the
story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the
reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him.
In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine. Over
time, February 14 has become the date for exchanging love messages and a
celebration of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. The date is marked by
sending poems and simple gifts, such as flowers, to loved ones and secret
loves. By far, Valentine's Day Flowers
are the most popular gift today.
St Valentine's Story
Let
me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I lived in Rome during the third
century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor
named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and I wasn't the only one! A
lot of people shared my feelings.
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| St Valentine's Day Roses |
Claudius wanted to have a big army. He
expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in wars.
They did not want to leave their wives and families. As you might have guessed,
not many men signed up. This made Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a
crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind
joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young
people thought his new law was cruel. I thought it was preposterous! I
certainly wasn't going to support that law!
Did
I mention that I was a priest? One of my favorite activities was to marry
couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing
marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting.
Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We
would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps
of soldiers.
One
night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I was
marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I
used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was
death.
I
tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened. Many
young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up to
my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One
of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed
her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours. She
helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by
ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I
was to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and
loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
I
believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's
Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now, every year on
this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about love and
friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how he tried
to stand in the way of love, and they laugh - because they know that love can't
be beaten!
