The Huffington Post filled me in on some ideas. While the history of Valentine's Day is sometimes debated, it clearly links back to a Catholic saint named St. Valentine. The problem is there are actually three St. Valentine's -- one a priest, one a bishop, and little is known about the third. All were martyrs. In 469 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 a day to honor St. Valentine, one of these three men. One legend says that a Roman emperor banned soldiers from marrying in the third century, but St. Valentine took issue with this. He became an advocate for soldiers and was executed as a result of his outspokenness. Another legend says St. Valentine was executed for his beliefs in Christianity and just before he died, he left a farewell note for a loved one and signed it "From Your Valentine." A conventional and widely accepted belief about the holiday itself is that Valentine's Day grew out of a Middle Ages tradition of celebrating Feb. 14 as the day "the birds began to pair."
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Saturday, February 13, 2010
"The Birds Began to Pair"
What's the story behind Valentine's Day?
The Huffington Post filled me in on some ideas. While the history of Valentine's Day is sometimes debated, it clearly links back to a Catholic saint named St. Valentine. The problem is there are actually three St. Valentine's -- one a priest, one a bishop, and little is known about the third. All were martyrs. In 469 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 a day to honor St. Valentine, one of these three men. One legend says that a Roman emperor banned soldiers from marrying in the third century, but St. Valentine took issue with this. He became an advocate for soldiers and was executed as a result of his outspokenness. Another legend says St. Valentine was executed for his beliefs in Christianity and just before he died, he left a farewell note for a loved one and signed it "From Your Valentine." A conventional and widely accepted belief about the holiday itself is that Valentine's Day grew out of a Middle Ages tradition of celebrating Feb. 14 as the day "the birds began to pair."
The Huffington Post filled me in on some ideas. While the history of Valentine's Day is sometimes debated, it clearly links back to a Catholic saint named St. Valentine. The problem is there are actually three St. Valentine's -- one a priest, one a bishop, and little is known about the third. All were martyrs. In 469 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 a day to honor St. Valentine, one of these three men. One legend says that a Roman emperor banned soldiers from marrying in the third century, but St. Valentine took issue with this. He became an advocate for soldiers and was executed as a result of his outspokenness. Another legend says St. Valentine was executed for his beliefs in Christianity and just before he died, he left a farewell note for a loved one and signed it "From Your Valentine." A conventional and widely accepted belief about the holiday itself is that Valentine's Day grew out of a Middle Ages tradition of celebrating Feb. 14 as the day "the birds began to pair."
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