History of Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, celebrated in America on February 14, began as a tribute to Saint Valentine, a Catholic Bishop. The day as we know it contains both Christian and Roman traditions. The Catholic Church recognizes two other Saints named either Valentine or Valentinus, and all three are factored into the celebration in some manner.

The exact history is somewhat of a mystery and there are different legends that lead us to the annual celebration. No matter what the true story is, we must not forget the sentiment of the holiday and embrace the one we love with romance.

One story says that Valentine was a Roman priest in the third century. The Emperor, Claudius II made a decree that outlawed marriage for young men because the single men made better soldiers than the ones with wives and families. Seeing this decree as an injustice to those men, Valentine continued performing secret marriage ceremonies, and when Claudius found out, Valentine was put to death.

Another story stipulates that Valentine may have been killed for his efforts in aiding the Christians to escape the harsh Roman prisons. The Christians held in these prisons were often tortured and beaten.

The last legend stems from the fact that Valentine may have sent the first Valentine greeting to a young woman he fell in love with, believed to be the jailer's daughter. The love letter was signed "From your Valentine" which is one of the expressions still in use today.

The day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the death of the Saint, who died on February 14, 269 A.D. The day was set aside to honor the saint in the year 496 A.D. by Pope Gelasius .

According to American Greetings, Valentine's Day is the second highest card holiday, only to be surpassed by Christmas. An estimated 1 billion cards are sent each year in recognition of the holiday.

Customary gifts for the holiday meant to embrace love and romance include flowers, candies, and chocolate. The red rose is the most popular flower. While those are pretty, I always appreciate thinking outside the box for the displays of affection.