THE HISTORY OF VALENTINE'S DAY Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day, and who is St. Valentine? St. Valentine's Day, the day of romance, is a mixture of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions. It dates back to a Roman celebration, the Feast of Lupercal, which featured a lottery in which young men and young women were paired. In an effort to do away with the pagan festival, the Church may have looked for a patron saint of love to take his place. February 14 was declared "St. Valentine's Day" around 498 A.D. in honor of St. Valentine. SAINT VALENTINE History has few definite facts about St. Valentine, but according to one popular legend, he was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II, or "Claudius the Cruel," decided single men made better soldiers than soldiers who were attached to wives and families, he banned all marriages. Valentine, however, continued to marry young couples in secret. Caught in the act, Valentine, the "friend of lovers," was imprisoned and sentenced to death.
While imprisoned, Valentine miraculously healed the jailer's daughter of blindness. The girl tried to save Valentine, unsuccessfully. Just before his execution on February 14th, Valentine sent a farewell note to her. It was signed "From your Valentine."
| 
