The Story of Valentines day
Valentine's Day is everywhere: chocolate, flowers, and love notes. But have you ever actually thought about why we're doing it? It turns out the history's not as rosy as you'd think.
One story sets its sights on ancient Rome. There was a priest named Valentine who secretly arranged marriages for couples. When this occurred, Emperor Claudius II had outlawed marriage for young men because he felt that unmarried men made better soldiers.
Valentine was not going to obey, so he kept marrying people in secret. When the emperor found out, he had Valentine arrested and ultimately executed. Before he was executed, he supposedly wrote a letter to the jailer's daughter, signing it "From your Valentine." Ring a bell? There's also a school of thought that Valentine's Day originated in Lupercalia, a rowdy mid-February celebration in which the Romans pretty much got wild, honored fertility, and possibly even played some strange matchmaking games. At some point, the church then chose to make it a more civilized holiday and call it after St. Valentine instead.
Now forward a few centuries, and by the Middle Ages, people began associating February with romance. Others even believed that birds chose their mates during this time of the year. Already, by the 18th century, love letters were being penned by humans. These evolved into the elaborate cards we see today.
Valentine's Day is now celebrated all over the world. Some love it, others roll their eyes at it, but whatever, it's a good excuse to remind someone that you like them. And who doesn't want an added reason to indulge in chocolate?
