February 14th. The mere date can invoke feelings of love and passion, or despair and loneliness. But for such a celebrated holiday that’s capable of running the full gamut of emotions for different people worldwide, there is a less than uniform explanation of why the day is celebrated and its historical roots, unlike other holidays like Passover and Easter which have a much clearer historical cause for their celebration. After taking to the World Wide Web in the hope for a clear understanding of the history of Valentines Day I realized that the information I had found was as varied as the websites themselves. While there was far from an exact or conclusive history many of the websites included similar themes and information.
Throughout the majority of the website there was an emphasis of some variation of the story of a Roman Catholic priest named Father Valentine and his disagreement with Emperor Claudius II. Claudius the Cruel believe that married men did not make for good soldiers (www.wikipedia.com), as opposed to bachelors with no families. Therefore he ordered that all young men remained single in an effort to expand his army and continue with the bloody and unpopular campaigns he was famous for (http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm). Father Valentine however refused to follow this order and began marrying young catholic men in secret.
Throughout the majority of the website there was an emphasis of some variation of the story of a Roman Catholic priest named Father Valentine and his disagreement with Emperor Claudius II. Claudius the Cruel believe that married men did not make for good soldiers (www.wikipedia.com), as opposed to bachelors with no families. Therefore he ordered that all young men remained single in an effort to expand his army and continue with the bloody and unpopular campaigns he was famous for (http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm). Father Valentine however refused to follow this order and began marrying young catholic men in secret.
In another variation of this story he is aided by Saint Marius in his secret marriage efforts (http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm). In that variation Father Valentine is captured and put before the Prefect of Rome who condemns him to death by clubbing and decapitation. He is killed on February 14th, 270.
In another variation after Father Valentine is arrested and jailed but has several meetings with Claudius and attempted to convert the Emperor to the Catholic faith. This did not sit well with the emperor and was sentenced to death. Before his death he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailor and just before he was put to death he sent her a small card and signed it “From your Valentine” (www.wikipedia.com). Another story believed that while Father Valentine was imprisoned, people would leave him little notes, folded up and hidden in cracks in the rocks around his cell. He would find them and offer prayers for them.
One version starts back even further and believes that Valentine’s day comes from the Roman Pagan holiday’s to honor Juno the Queen of Women and Marriage (February 14th) and the Feast of Lupercalia (February 15th) (http://www.infoplease.com/spot/valentinesdayhistory.html). During these times little boys and girls had very little interaction. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the whole festival with the girl whom he chose. For many the pairing ended in eventual love and marriage. Because of this day Emperor Claudius chose to outlaw marriages and engagement. Then the story continues into one of the previously listed variations.
It should also be noted that despite its deeply historical backgrounds from the ages of the roman empire, according to www.wikipedia.com, there are those, especially in the United States that believe that Valentine’s day is nothing more than a “Hallmark Holiday” along with Secretary’s Day, and Father’s Day. This also stems from the fact that according to http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine/minisites/valentine/viewPage?pageId=884, they state that the Greeting Card Association believes an estimated billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas).
While most websites take some interpretation and spin it one way or another major theme of Father Valentine and Emperor Claudius II’s decree outlawing marriage and the events that follow seem to be the most agreed upon information for the basis for the holiday.
In another variation after Father Valentine is arrested and jailed but has several meetings with Claudius and attempted to convert the Emperor to the Catholic faith. This did not sit well with the emperor and was sentenced to death. Before his death he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailor and just before he was put to death he sent her a small card and signed it “From your Valentine” (www.wikipedia.com). Another story believed that while Father Valentine was imprisoned, people would leave him little notes, folded up and hidden in cracks in the rocks around his cell. He would find them and offer prayers for them.
One version starts back even further and believes that Valentine’s day comes from the Roman Pagan holiday’s to honor Juno the Queen of Women and Marriage (February 14th) and the Feast of Lupercalia (February 15th) (http://www.infoplease.com/spot/valentinesdayhistory.html). During these times little boys and girls had very little interaction. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the whole festival with the girl whom he chose. For many the pairing ended in eventual love and marriage. Because of this day Emperor Claudius chose to outlaw marriages and engagement. Then the story continues into one of the previously listed variations.
It should also be noted that despite its deeply historical backgrounds from the ages of the roman empire, according to www.wikipedia.com, there are those, especially in the United States that believe that Valentine’s day is nothing more than a “Hallmark Holiday” along with Secretary’s Day, and Father’s Day. This also stems from the fact that according to http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine/minisites/valentine/viewPage?pageId=884, they state that the Greeting Card Association believes an estimated billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas).
While most websites take some interpretation and spin it one way or another major theme of Father Valentine and Emperor Claudius II’s decree outlawing marriage and the events that follow seem to be the most agreed upon information for the basis for the holiday.
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