The season of love will be upon us soon and all around the world candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. So what exactly is Valentine's day and who exactly is St. Valentine?
"Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree,
defied Claudius and continued to perform
marriages for young lovers in secret.
When Valentine’s actions were discovered,
Claudius ordered that he be put to death"
The history of Feb the 14th is covered with mystery. According to history.com, "one legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wive
s and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
According to other sources, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter - who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today."
While some choose to believe that the middle of Feb is linked to the death anniversary of St. Valentine's or his burial which took place around A.D 270, others hint the special day to be linked with the celebration of Lupercalia, a fertility festival celebrated around the middle of Feb in dedication to the Roman God of agriculture as well as the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
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