Why do we have a valentines day??
Why Valentine’s Day? Well everyone can thank Saint Valentine for this one.
According to one legend (my personal favorite story), Saint Valentine was a beneficent priest in Ancient Rome during the 3rd century. The Roman Emperor at the time had decreed that men made better soldiers and were wasting their times at home with wives and children. The emperor made it illegal for men to marry. Valentine thought this was ridiculous and continued to marry young lovers in secret. Sadly when he was found out, Valentine was condemned to death – but died as a martyr of love.
Valentine’s valor always reminds me of John Keats’ famous words: "I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for religion – I have shuddered at it. I shudder no more – I could be martyred for my religion – Love is my religion – I could die for that."
An alternate cuter story is that Valentine was actually a prisoner who sent the first-ever Valentine’s card from his jail cell to a young girl he loved. The prisoner signed the card, "From Your Valentine"… and hence, Valentine’s Day as we know it now with the card exchange tradition.
No matter how the holiday of love started, it’s important to remember that Valentine’s Day should be every day of the year for your loved ones.
Valentine’s Day began in Rome, Italy. Long ago people living in Rome could not marry. The Roman ruler Caudius II needed soldiers. He thought married men would not join his army. So, Claudius said it was against the law to marry. A priest named Valentine knew Claudius was wrong. Valentine performed wedding in secret. Claudius found out and threw Valentine in Jail. Valentine made friends with the jailor’s daughter He wrote notes to her. He signed each one "From your Valentine"
More Detail: http://rajdhaniflorist.com/valentine/valentine.asp
We celebrate Valentine’s Day, because until 1969, it was one of the many Saint’s Days observed by the Catholic Church. It was dedicated to the patron saint of romantic causes, St. Valentine. Although it was removed from the Church’s calendar in 1969, the religious meaning coupled with Valentine’s Day’s roots in Roman paganism have allowed it to continue as a holiday for everyone. Early Christians saw Valentine’s Day as a way to honor St. Valentine, of whom there were actually three. The Catholic Church recognizes three saints by that name, all who were martyred on February 14. The St. Valentine the day is named for was, most likely, a priest in the 3rd century who performed secret marriages when the Roman Emperor Claudius II thought single soldiers were more likely to enlist in the army. That St. Valentine was imprisoned and executed on February 4, 270. It is believed he was responsible for giving the jailer’s blind daughter back her eyesight, and before his execution, he sent herss a
