Valentines Day

Just when you thought the holiday gift-buying season was over and it was time to rest you were wrong. It is time to start thinking about Valentines Day if you haven't done so already. But you may ask yourself what is Valentines Day and why do we celebrate it? Well I shouldn't say celebrate it. It is more like a gift giving day and a great day for your local florist and card shops. I thought it would be good to do some investigating about the origins of Valentines Day.


It seems as though the history of Valentines Day and its patron saint are shrouded in mystery. St. Valentines Day as we know it has its origins in both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So who is this mysterious Saint that this special day is named after? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend says that Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd century in Rome. Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families. So he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine disagreed with this decree and defied Claudius by performing marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentines actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. :-( Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape persecution they faced under Roman rule. According to one legend Valentine actually sent the first valentine greeting himself to a young girl he fell in love with. This young girl was the jailors daughter. Before his alleged death he wrote her a letter and signed it 'From your Valentine'. This is an expression that is still used today. The truth behind Valentine will never be known for sure. However by the middle ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.


In all the years of school, and all the years of sending Valentines Day Cards I never knew this story. The story behind the man however flawed or truthful does give some meaning to this special day.