|
The
History of Valentines Day
Every
February we celebrate Valentines Day by
giving flowers, candy and cards to those we
love. We do this in honor of Saint
Valentine. You may be wondering, "Who
is St. Valentine"?
Legend
has it that Valentine was a priest who
served during third century Rome. There was
an Emperor at that time by the name of
Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II decided
that single men made better soldiers than
those that were married. With this thought
in mind he outlawed marriage for young men
in hopes of building a stronger military
base. Supposedly, Valentine, decided this
decree just wasn't fair and chose to marry
young couples secretly. When Emperor
Claudius II found out about Valentine's
actions he had him put to death.
Another
legend has it that Valentine was an
imprisoned man who fell in love with his
jailor's daughter. Before he was put to
death he sent the first 'valentine' himself
when he wrote her a letter and signed it
'Your Valentine', words still used on cards
today.
Perhaps
we'll never know the true identity and story
behind the man named St. Valentine, but this
much is for sure...February has been the
month to celebrate love for a long time,
dating clear back to the Middle Ages. In
fact, Valentines ranks second only to
Christmas in number of greeting cards sent.
Another
valentine gentleman you may be wondering
about is Cupid (Latin cupido,
"desire"). In Roman mythology
Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love.
His counterpart in Greek mythology is Eros,
god of love. Cupid is often said to be a
mischievous boy who goes around wounding
both gods and humans with his arrows,
causing them to fall in love.
Source:
http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/val/history.html |
