Valentine’s Day is a well known day for sending flowers, cards, candy and so much more for someone you love or care about. This celebrated holiday is mostly thought of as a holiday for couples and so called secret admirers, but Valentine’s Day has a deeper meaning then most people know. While looking up the history of Valentine’s Day a few interesting legends came up.
The first legend involved a prisoner in love. There was a prisoner named Valentine who fell completely head over heels in love with a young woman. The young woman was believed to be Valentine’s jailer’s daughter. (For those of you who don’t know what that is, a jailer is someone who guards prisoners). Before Valentine had died, he wrote a love letter to the young lady and he signed it “Your Valentine” which is where “Be My Valentine” is believed to have come from.
Another belief about Valentine’s Day is that there was once a priest named Valentine, and he was under the rule of Claudius II. Claudius II believed that a single soldier was better than a married soldier, so he outlawed marriage. By outlawing marriage, he would have a strong army of single men, with no wives to worry about. But Valentine disobeyed this law and believed that couples should be married and share a holy bond, so he continued to conduct ceremonies marrying couples. Eventually he was caught and sent to his death, but is remembered for believing so strongly in marriage and love.
It is also a legend that Valentine’s Day came from an old holiday that was celebrated in ancient Rome. This ancient Roman holiday was celebrated on February 15th and honored the god of Lupercus, who protected the people and their herds from wolves. Single men and women gathered on this day for a festive dance. At this dance, dancing partners were chosen by drawing names out of a hat. This dance was the start of a relationship that was suppose to last the entire year. The man was supposed to take care of which ever name he drew out of the hat. Later on in the Middle Ages the men would wear the name of their sweetheart written on their sleeve. This legend is where “wearing your heart on your sleeve” is believed to have come from.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom. So this Valentine’s Day maybe think about these legends. Believing them on the other hand, is completely up to you.