February 14th is Valentine’s Day. We celebrate the day by giving flowers, candy and cards to those we love. We do this in honor of Saint Valentine. But who was St. Valentine? Here’s a little history lesson.
Legend has it that Valentine was a priest during the third century in Rome. The Emperor at the time was Claudius II. Claudius decided that single men made better soldiers than those that were married. So he outlawed marriage for young men in hopes of building a stronger military base. Valentine decided this decree just wasn’t fair and chose to secretly marry young couples. When the Emperor found out about Valentine’s “illegal” actions, he had him put to death.
Another legend has it that Valentine was an imprisoned man who fell in love with the jailor’s daughter. Before he was put to death, he sent the first “valentine” when he wrote a letter and signed it “From Your Valentine”.
We may never know the true history of Valentine’s Day, but February has been the month to celebrate love for a long time, dating back to the Middle Ages. In fact, Valentine’s Day ranks second only to Christmas in the number of greeting cards sent.
Happy Valentine's Day!!
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