History and symbols of Valentine's Day
Chenelle Evans
Issue date: 2/10/05 Section: features
When people mention Valentine's Day, many different thoughts come to mind. The first thought, obviously, is the fact that it is considered the most romantic day of the year. However, many other things come to mind as well, such as, hearts, flowers (particularly roses), Cupid, even the color red. All of these symbols are well known by adults and children alike. Yet, how many know the origin of some of them? Many of these traditions have a story behind them, especially St. Valentine's Day itself.
St. Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is celebrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. Every February, people give their loved ones candy, flowers and gifts all in the name of this romantic holiday. How did this day originate? Valentine's Day is said to have come from a priest named Saint Valentine who lived in Rome during the third century. At this time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius, who was not liked by the people or by Valentine. Emperor Claudius wanted to have a large army and expected men to volunteer to join. However, he was having trouble because not many men wanted to sign up. It turned out that the men didn't want to fight in wars because they didn't want to leave their wives and families. This obviously made the emperor angry. He felt that married men made poor soldiers, so he came to the conclusion that if there were no marriages then men would be more willing to join the army. Since he needed soldiers, Emperor Claudius decided to abolish marriage. Saint Valentine was against this law and decided to perform marriage ceremonies anyway, but in secret. One night while he was performing a ceremony, he was caught by soldiers, put in jail and sentenced to death. On Feb. 14, around 270 A.D., Saint Valentine was clubbed, stoned and beheaded. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared that day St. Valentine's Day.
Another version claims that Saint Valentine was arrested for helping Christians. While he was in jail, he fell in love with the daughter of a prison guard. On Feb. 14, the day of his death, he wrote a farewell message to her and signed it "From your Valentine," which is an expression that is still used today. There are other versions of this story but each one shows Valentine as a sympathetic, heroic and most of all romantic figure.
St. Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is celebrated in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. Every February, people give their loved ones candy, flowers and gifts all in the name of this romantic holiday. How did this day originate? Valentine's Day is said to have come from a priest named Saint Valentine who lived in Rome during the third century. At this time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius, who was not liked by the people or by Valentine. Emperor Claudius wanted to have a large army and expected men to volunteer to join. However, he was having trouble because not many men wanted to sign up. It turned out that the men didn't want to fight in wars because they didn't want to leave their wives and families. This obviously made the emperor angry. He felt that married men made poor soldiers, so he came to the conclusion that if there were no marriages then men would be more willing to join the army. Since he needed soldiers, Emperor Claudius decided to abolish marriage. Saint Valentine was against this law and decided to perform marriage ceremonies anyway, but in secret. One night while he was performing a ceremony, he was caught by soldiers, put in jail and sentenced to death. On Feb. 14, around 270 A.D., Saint Valentine was clubbed, stoned and beheaded. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared that day St. Valentine's Day.
Another version claims that Saint Valentine was arrested for helping Christians. While he was in jail, he fell in love with the daughter of a prison guard. On Feb. 14, the day of his death, he wrote a farewell message to her and signed it "From your Valentine," which is an expression that is still used today. There are other versions of this story but each one shows Valentine as a sympathetic, heroic and most of all romantic figure.