| 14th February, Valentine's Day, is one of the | | | | deed. According to a legend, while in prison, St. |
| most popular holidays. For centuries, people have | | | | Valentine fell in love with his jailor's daughter and |
| celebrated Valentine's Day with much enthusiasm. | | | | began to send her written love letters signed |
| Traditionally, Valentine's Day was celebrated as a | | | | "From your valentine." And thus the saint's |
| Roman feast. Later it came to be associated with | | | | birthday is said to be celebrated as Valentine's |
| a Roman Catholic feast day on February 14th to | | | | Day, the day of celebration of love. |
| honor two Roman martyrs, both by the name of | | | | According to another legend, St. Valentine, a |
| St. Valentine. | | | | Roman priest who began to secretly marry |
| This holiday originally originated in ancient Rome. | | | | couples against the direct orders of Emperor |
| Romans of the ancient times celebrated a fertility | | | | Claudius II. Emperor Claudius was facing difficulties |
| festival of Lupercalis on February 15th. The priests | | | | recruiting soldiers for his military because the |
| who conducted this ritual were known as Luperci. | | | | young men didn't want to leave their wives at |
| The ritual began with a sacrifice of goats and a | | | | home. To overcome this problem, he declared |
| dog done by Lupercis. This was followed by two | | | | that both engagements and marriages were illegal. |
| of the Lupercis were led to the alter where their | | | | St. Valentine eventually was executed for his |
| foreheads were touched with the bloody knife | | | | violation of Claudius' orders, and thus the holiday |
| that was used for the sacrifices. And then, the | | | | of Lupercalia came to be acclaimed as a |
| blood was wiped off with a piece of wool dipped | | | | celebration of love and the celebration of St. |
| in milk. This ritual was marked with a sacrificial | | | | Valentine. |
| feast. Following that, a sacrificial feast took place. | | | | By the 15th Century, St. Valentines Day was |
| And at the end of the festival thongs were cut | | | | celebrated with lovers singing their romantic |
| from the skin of the sacrificed animals which | | | | feelings to their beloveds. People often wrote |
| were held by noble youths who ran up and down | | | | sonnets and other love poems to celebrate their |
| through the city naked, for sport and laughter | | | | love. These poems and sonnets came to be |
| striking those they meet with shaggy thongs. | | | | popularly known as valentine messages or |
| Women and children purposely got in the way to | | | | valentines. The oldest surviving valentine in history |
| shake hands, believing that the pregnant will be | | | | was written in 1415 from the Duke of Orleans to |
| bestowed by good luck, and the barren will be | | | | his beloved wife. It was written while he was held |
| bestowed with good luck. A blow from the thong | | | | prisoner in the Tower of London. The message is |
| was believed to cure sterility in women. Later, | | | | on display in the British Museum in London. |
| Pope Gelasius I (492-496) abolished Lupercalia. | | | | While the exact origin of Valentine's Day is not |
| There is many a folklore of how Valentine's Day | | | | known exactly, there is no doubt that it is not |
| came to be a celebration of love. Some stories | | | | just a holiday from the modern times but has a |
| talk of St. Valentine helping prisoners of harsh | | | | history to it. It is a chance to both honor the |
| Roman prisons escape. He was imprisoned for the | | | | history and modernity of love and affection. |