St. Valentine Whos That
There are several theories about where and how St. Valentine’s Day got started. The real reason why, each year we celebrate love on the fourteenth day of February, may always be shrouded in mystery but there is no shortage of the legends about why this is true.
How Did Valentine’s Day Come About
One theory is that Valentine was a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II in Rome during the third century. Claudius, it is said, decided that single men made better soldiers than married men so he issued a decree making it illegal for young men to marry. The priest, Valentine, continued to perform wedding ceremonies in spite of the decree. He just performed the ceremonies in secret. When Claudius found out about Valentine’s disobedience he ordered him executed.
Valentine’s Day contains vestiges of ancient Roman tradition as well as Christian tradition and the Catholic Church has at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus all of whom are martyred.
There are stories that suggest that St. Valentine was killed by the Romans for helping Christians escape from Roman prisons. There is also a legend that says that Valentine actually sent the first Valentine greeting himself to a young woman (rumored to have been the daughter of one of his jailers) while he was imprisoned. The legend claims that Valentine wrote a love letter to her before his death and signed it “From your Valentineâ€. (This is the legend that I like the most.)
You can choose the legend that you like the best. Just don’t forget to send Valentine’s Day greetings to all of those whom you love on February 14th…and especially to that special someone in your life! Valentine’s Day is the day to celebrate love in all of its many forms.
No related postsDid you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.