A common view about Valentine’s Day is that it is purely for commercial reasons, so businesses can sell cards, red roses and chocolates. But Valentine’s Day is a bit more than that. Valentine's Day originates from Saint Valentine. We think but who really knows? I've researched where the day came from and found multiple different stories, but this is the story this is the most common one. That it’s a Saint’s Day. Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14.

 

So, who was St Valentine?           

There are several stories about who the Saint was, but the most common belief is that he was a priest from Rome in the third century AD. He was I widely recognized Roman Saint, who is commemorated in Christianity on February 14. The reason he is remembered on this day is because around the year 270A.D Valentine was executed by the orders of Emperor Claudius II. 

Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular campaigns. The emperor had to keep a strong army, however he struggled to get men to join his forces. Claudius believed this was down to the fact that Roman men didn’t want to join his army because of their attachment to their wives and families. To get rid of the problem, the emperor banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. St. Valentine didn’t agree with Claudius ban and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.

The exact origins and true indemnity of St. Valentine are unclear. Although according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February.” One was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop of Interamna, which is now known as Terni, Italy) and the third St. Valentine was martyr in the Roman province in Africa. Legends vary on why and how the Saint’s name became connected to romance. The true date of his death may have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of Love. However, in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius decided to end the Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that February 14 was the be celebrated as St. Valentine’s Day.  

 

What is Valentine's Day now?  

Now Valentine’s Day is when millions of people around the world exchange cards, gifts, roses and chocolates.they declare their loved for others with romatic,beautiful proposals or gone on cute dinner dates. But for a lot of people it's just another day and in this case it's just another Friday. So, Happy Friday! or Happy Valentine's Day!

 

By Isla Lee-Davie, LPGS