Valentine, valentine, valentine! Of course most of you already know what is that. But do you know the history behind this name, what it is? Or why do we celebrate it? Well I’m guessing at least we do know that every February has a long been a month of romance St. valentine day, And we also across the country candy, flowers, gifts are being exchange between loves one All that occurs in the name of saint valentine. So who is he?

·        Valentine was a priest who serves during the third century in Rome when emperor Claudius II decided that single man made better soldiers that those with wives and families. He outlaw marriage for young men-his crop of potential soldiers.

·        Valentine, realized the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

·        According to one legend, Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. It is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailor’s daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today.

·        Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It’s no surprise that by the middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

·        In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

·        In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all-social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology.

·        Americans began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

Posted: February 8th, 2009 under Uncategorized.
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