A Celebration of Love

The legend surrounding the original Valentine is a saga.

In the third century, Roman Emperor Claudius II decided that his armies would be most effective if they were comprised of young, unmarried men who weren't tied down by wives or families.

To achieve this for his army, Claudius outlawed marriage for men at their fighting prime. A certain Bishop Valentine allegedly saw the injustice of Claudius' proclamation and continued to wed young lovers in secret. When he was discovered, Claudius sentenced Valentine to death and had him imprisoned.

While in prison, Valentine is said to have fallen in love with the jailer's daughter, who visited him regularly in his confinement. He declared his love in his last letter to her before his execution and signed it, "From your Valentine."

Long after Claudius II, a festival in honor of Lupercus, a fertility god, became increasing popular among adolescents. During the mid-February celebration, each young man chose the name of a teenage girl by lottery to be his sexual companion for the coming year.

The Catholic church sought to cease the pagan ritual and looked for a patron saint to attract the attentions of the frolicking youth away from Lupercian traditions. Thus they heralded Valentine, beheaded by Claudius II in 270 AD (possibly to the great loss of a jailer's daughter) the Patron Saint of Love, and the mid-February ceremony morphed over time into our February 14 "St. Valentine's Day."

Today, it is celebrated all round the world by lovers. They exchange cards, gifts, flowers, and promises. They take it as an oppurtunity to proclaim their love for each other. Thus the saint of love has become immortal through these celebrations.