All About Valentine's Day

The Legend of St. Valentine’s Day
St. Valentine’s Day is a celebration that dates back to the 2nd Century in honor of a priest named Valentinus in Rome. The Roman Empire was forcing the enlistment of young men to fight in their newly conquered territories. Single men were sent directly the front battle lines. Many marriages were taking place in the hopes of preventing this. The Emperor ordered that all marriages were banned!
Valentinus protested this edict, saying that the people and the Church should be able to continue with the holy bonds of matrimony. For supporting the banned lovers, the Roman authorities ordered him imprisoned. According to legend, Valentinus, while in jail befriended his jailer’s blind daughter and miraculously restored her sight. Before he died, he sent the girl a note signed, “from your Valentine.” The execution occurred on February 14, 270. People were shocked and after his death, thousands of mourners tossed small gifts and letters of love into the prison yard in memory of his life and his devotion to love.


When the Church elevated Valentinus to Sainthood, February 15 was already the pagan feast of Luperccalia. This was a raucous celebration where a young Roman man chose a “mate” for the holiday by drawing her name from a box. The Church replaced this bawdy pagan feast with St. Valentine’s Day, a holiday for friends and lovers to exchange tokens and notes of affection.
Although today most people send paper or e-mail Valentines, there have been many other ways to express sentiment on St. Valentine’s Day. Victorian jewelry sent secret messages with stones set into a pin or bracelet. The stones were arranged by the first letter of the gem’s name. Thus, a line of ruby, emerald, garnet, ruby, diamond and sapphire spelled “regards.” A piece a jewelry shaped like a snake with its tail in its mouth meant “eternal love.” A heart shaped locket holding the giver’s hair expressed true love.


There were also many superstitions connected to St. Valentine’s Day activities in centuries past. If a girl pinned a bay leaf to her pillow or ate the white of a hard-boiled egg before sleep, her true love would appear in her dreams. Your lover would arrive soon after visiting a graveyard on St. Valentine’s Eve. Running around a church and singing a special song would also guarantee that your heart’s desire would come into your life.


Other early customs are also no longer a part of our celebrations. In the days before postal service, a Valentine note was attached to an apple or orange and tossed through an eligible girl’s window. In some parts of England, groups of children went door to door “Valentining”; singing love songs in the fashion of Christmas carols. But today, most of us send a Valentine card. In America, this custom started with hand-made cards in the 18th century and continued with commercial cards that were first introduced by Esther Howland of Worcester, Ma. in 1847

However you choose to celebrate, its interesting to know the history and customs behind St. Valentine’s Day!
Wishing you a Happy St. Valentine’s Day with all my Love!