1. History of Valentine's day
February has long been a month of romance. It is the month associated with Valentine's
Day celebrations. We have, time and again, heard the name St. Valentine being uttered
before us in this season of love. But just who is this St. Valentine? Why is this month
associated with love and romance? Learn about St. Valentine, how Valentine’s day came
into practice as it is today. The origin of this lovers day goes back as early as 270 A.D and
started with the clash between a kindly priest and a mighty ruler. To know more, just read
on and discover the true meaning of this festival. If you like our little article about the
splendid history of Valentine's Day, just click here and refer this page to your friends and
loved ones. Wish you a Happy Valentine!
Every year, the fourteenth day of the month of February has millions across the world
presenting their loved ones with candy, flowers, chocolates and other lovely gifts. In many
countries, restaurants and eateries are seen to be filled with couples who are eager to
celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through delicious cuisines.
There hardly seems to be a young man or woman who is not keen to make the most of the
day.
The reason behind all of this is a kindly cleric named Valentine who died more than a
thousand years ago.
It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as
Valentine's Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to
this day. The history of Valentine's Day is impossible to be obtained
from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the
origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends
that are our source for the history of Valentine's Day.
The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been
derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one
legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival
of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to be
observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan
holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no
exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day
and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to
be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd
century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors.

2. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by
the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni.
Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa.
Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.
It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three
aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived
around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled
during this time.
The story of St. Valentine has two different versions - the Protestant and the Catholic one.
Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage
ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young
men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of
Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent
civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The
Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and
Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded
from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more
capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation
from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more
emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed
that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure
quality soldiers.
The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their
protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also
realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young
lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned
to counter the monarch's orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought
of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a
secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And
thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But
such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of
time before Claudius came to know of this "friend of lovers," and had
him arrested.
While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It
was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to
heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of
Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic
legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon
refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever
the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius' blind daughter.

3. When Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the
dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with
the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor
tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccessful in his
efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to
convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius
II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.
Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius' daughter. It
caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend's imminent death. It is said that
just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a
farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after. As per
another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment.
However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story
surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape
(Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed
to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.
Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It
began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of
affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of
Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine's Day.
But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine's Day became definitively
associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of "Chaucer and the
Cult of Saint Valentine", credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine's
Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on
February 14. Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems
dedicated to the day. In Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the
mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are related:
"For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate."
By the Middle Ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most popular
saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the
holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through
the Middle Ages. The holiday evolved over the centuries. By the 18th century, gift-giving
and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England.
Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts began to
be created on this day and handed over to the man or woman one
loved. This tradition eventually spread to the American colonies. It
was not until the 1840s that Valentine's Day greeting cards began to
be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine's
Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount
Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known
as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real

4. lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap". It was when Howland began
Valentine's cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States.
Today, Valentine's Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a
booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all
cards sent each year are "valentine"s. The "valentines", as Valentine's Day cards are better
known as, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentine's Day card
spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest
valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his
imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.
There may be doubts regarding the actual identity of Valentine, but we know that he really
existed because archaeologists have recently unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient
church dedicated to a Saint Valentine.
ANOTHER VERSION
The History of Saint Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February
14th was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and
Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The
following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.
The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people
was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips
of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be
partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children
lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.
Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns.
Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that
the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled
all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of
Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind
deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be
beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of
February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to
celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god. On these occasions,
amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they
were drawn by the men as chance directed.
The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these
feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the
middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new
feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for
the coming year, arose in this way.

5. 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.
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 favourite 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!
Valentine Traditions
Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on Valentine's Day. They went
singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:
Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine ---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.
In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes
were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be.
They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means
that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.
In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it
means she will marry him.

6. Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she
would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a
goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her wide dress. Later, the love seat or
courting seat had two sections, often in an S-shape. In this way, a couple could sit together -- but not too
closely!
Think of five or six names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple, recite the
names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell
off.
Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the
seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will have.
If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you
will have.