The History of Valentine's Day
Celebrated on February 14th, Valentine's day started at about 270 A.D. There are several takes as to where and how the holiday began.
One story tells of a clash between a kindly priest and a mighty ruler. St. Valentine was a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter.
When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed it made the men weak. So to assure quality soldiers, he banned marriage. Valentine realized the injustice of the decree. Seeing the trauma of young lovers, he met them in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius had Valentine arrested.
While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. The Catholic legend has it that through the vehicle of his strong faith, he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after.
On February 14, 270 AD, Valentine was executed.
Valentine thus become a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St.Valentine's name.
Over the centuries, the holiday evolved, and by the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts eventually spread to the American colonies. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke.
Today, of course, the holiday has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are valentines.
Source:
http://theholidayspot.com/valentine/history_of_valentine.htm
Published by Brandon Elliott
17 Years Young // Writer // Intelligent // Knowledge-Seeking // Poetic Because I Can Be // twitter.com/brandonrofl // brandoniswrite.com // View profile
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7 Comments
Post a Commentlove these interesting bits of history, thanks!
Never knew this! Thanks for the interesting read.
interesting read..thanks
Good info!
Thanks for the info. I have wondered about this holiday.
I never knew any of this. Thanks for bringing me up to speed.
Interesting! I never knew details of Valentine's day like this. Good job!