What are The Origins of Valentine's Day?

All of us have someone special in our lives. Whether it is a significant other, friends, or family, we all have someone, often many people, whom we love. But how often do we remember to really express the love we feel for these people? Good thing there’s a whole day devoted to love, so, at least once a year, we get the chance to tell these people how much we love and appreciate our relationships with them. That day of course is Valentine’s Day. A day for romance and splurging on gifts such as flowers, chocolates, jewelry, and those cute little teddy bears with the fluffy hearts reading “Be Mine.” Valentine’s Day in the U.S. has also become a day when merchandisers can count on making a few quick bucks, leading most to believe that this horrifically commercialized holiday was invented by the candy, jewelry, and card companies. On the contrary, there is actually a fascinating history behind Valentine’s Day, which I will tell you about today, along with some insight to how some different countries celebrate this day of love.here, the full story of the saint Valentine.

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 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!

May love blossom in everybody’s life Valentine day greetings from my side to all ...