Origin of Valentines Day - are You Interested?

There are three Catholic Saints named Valentine or Valentinus, and all of them were martyred on the 14th of February. No one is sure which is the saint for lovers. What is known, is that during the mid 5th century the Roman Emperor Claudius felt that single men made better soldiers since they didn’t have to worry about their wives and kids.

So he decreed that young soldiers not marry. Valentine was a priest who helped the young lovers by performing secret marriages. When Claudius found out he sentenced Valentine to death.

While in jail he became friendly with his jailer’s daughter. They may even have been in love. Reportedly he sent the young woman a note shortly before his death and signed it, your Valentine. Ever since, young people have been invoking St. Valentine for help in finding their or keeping their true love.

Valentines Day greetings probably originated in England back in the middle ages however they didn’t appear in the U.S. until the 1800’s. Many practices and beliefs grew up around St. Valentine’s Day which we laugh at now. Such as the first single person of the opposite sex that you saw on Valentines Day would be your future spouse.

February 14th was believed by Europeans to be the date that birds chose their mates. So it became a common belief that the first bird you saw on that date would indicate the kind of man a girl would marry. Doves symbolized a faithful man, but a woodpecker meant there was no wedding in your future.

Valentine’s day has different traditions in different cultures. For example in Japan young girls give chocolate to boys. In some countries if a woman gets a gift of clothing from a man and keeps it, she is agreeing to marry him.

The origins of Valentine’s Day and its traditions are a mix of legends and truth.

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