The History of Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day only one week away, I thought it would be interesting to share the story behind Valentine's Day. The following has been paraphrased from The History Channel.

Every February, across the world, St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated. Cards, gifts, candies, and flowers are exchanged. However, it also known that it is the month that many engagement rings are purchased and marriage proposals are made. So, how exactly did this holiday come about? Why is it celebrated in February?

Who was St. Valentine?

One belief is that Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome under Emperor Claudius II (around 270 A.D). Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than married ones and banned them from getting married. However, Valentine who felt that this was an unjust law, continued to perform marriages in secret. When the Emperor found out, he sentenced Valentine to death.

The second belief is that when Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with a young girl who used to visit him. It is alleged that before his death, he wrote her a letter, signed off “From your Valentine” and was therefore the first one to send a valentines letter.

Other stories suggest that Valentine was been killed because he helped Christians who were in Roman captivity.

Why we celebrate Valentine's Day

It is believed that Valentine's Day is celebrated to commemorate Valentine’s death, while others believe that the church decided to celebrate it on February 15 to coincide with the ancient Roman Lupercalia Festival. The latter was a pagan fertile festival dedicated to the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus and the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. It marked the beginning of spring where they would purify their houses by sweeping and sprinkling them with salt and spelt.

Happy Early Valentine's Day!