We’re now in the month of January of this New Year, and eventually now we’re just around a month away from the most awaiting event of 2014 i.e. the Valentine’s Day. Like every year, in 2014 too all over the world including the United States, United Kingdom and India will happily celebrate the Day of Love or the Happy Valentine’s Day 2014 with candy, flowers and lots of gifts in the name of the great St. Valentine.
But who was this Saint Valentine? Why the whole World celebrate the ultimate festival of Love in the memory of this mysterious saint? Exactly from where did these traditions come from? In this article we’ll try to focus on the History and various myths of the Valentine’s Day.
You may know that this centuries-old holiday has many clusters and divisions from the customs of Victorian England to ancient Roman rituals. This is the day where people showcase their love for their dearest people in many amazing ways. But how did the St. Valentine get associated with this ancient event? If you wanna know then you must read on this article.
According to the Catholic Church, there were at least three different saints named as Valentine or Valentinus, and all of them were martyred. There is a saying that Valentine was actually a priest who served in the third century in the ancient Rome. Once the emperor Claudius II decided that single men made much better soldiers than those with wives and families, and the king also put a ban on marriages of young men.
But the brave-hearted priest Valentine firmly protested against this law when he realized that the utter injustice of the barbarian decree. He eventually defied the king and single-handedly performed marriages for young lovers secretly. Sadly when the actions of Valentine came into light, the Claudius ordered his death sentence.
There are other stories too related to the history of Valentine’s Day. One of these stories is that Valentine was killed because he was helping the poor Christians to escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often tortured and beaten very badly.
Some people say that Valentine was imprisoned for a certain crime where he fell in love with a young beautiful girl. The girl was most probably the jailor’s daughter, and she used to come to visit Valentine during the time of his confinement. He also presented the beautiful girl the first ever "valentine" greeting, and before his death allegedly he had actually written a full-fledged letter and signed as "From your Valentine”. Interestingly this is such an expression which is very much in use even today.
However, the real truth behind the Valentine legends is still not clear. But, one thing is crystal clear that all these stories emphasized on his positive appeal as a very sympathetic, heroic and romantic figure. Thus, we can conclude that by the Middle Age period Valentine would surely become one of the most popular and well-known saints in France and England thanks to his popularity and ever growing reputation.
But who was this Saint Valentine? Why the whole World celebrate the ultimate festival of Love in the memory of this mysterious saint? Exactly from where did these traditions come from? In this article we’ll try to focus on the History and various myths of the Valentine’s Day.
History of Valentine’s Day And Myths
According to the Catholic Church, there were at least three different saints named as Valentine or Valentinus, and all of them were martyred. There is a saying that Valentine was actually a priest who served in the third century in the ancient Rome. Once the emperor Claudius II decided that single men made much better soldiers than those with wives and families, and the king also put a ban on marriages of young men.
But the brave-hearted priest Valentine firmly protested against this law when he realized that the utter injustice of the barbarian decree. He eventually defied the king and single-handedly performed marriages for young lovers secretly. Sadly when the actions of Valentine came into light, the Claudius ordered his death sentence.
There are other stories too related to the history of Valentine’s Day. One of these stories is that Valentine was killed because he was helping the poor Christians to escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often tortured and beaten very badly.
Some people say that Valentine was imprisoned for a certain crime where he fell in love with a young beautiful girl. The girl was most probably the jailor’s daughter, and she used to come to visit Valentine during the time of his confinement. He also presented the beautiful girl the first ever "valentine" greeting, and before his death allegedly he had actually written a full-fledged letter and signed as "From your Valentine”. Interestingly this is such an expression which is very much in use even today.
However, the real truth behind the Valentine legends is still not clear. But, one thing is crystal clear that all these stories emphasized on his positive appeal as a very sympathetic, heroic and romantic figure. Thus, we can conclude that by the Middle Age period Valentine would surely become one of the most popular and well-known saints in France and England thanks to his popularity and ever growing reputation.
