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Romance & You (Articles)
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 Romance & You
(Articles)
Legend of St.
Valentine
 Valentine's
Day can be traced back to a similar holiday celebrated during the time of
Rome. The holiday was called The Festival of Lupercalia, which means
"feasts of Lupercus." The Roman holiday was celebrated for hundreds of
years even to the commencement of Christianity. (See Overview of Valentine's Day)
The legend of St. Valentine, a priest during
the time of Rome, is tied to the celebration of the Roman Festival of
Lupercalia. Although the festival
celebrated a Roman god, the people still enjoyed the activities surrounding the
celebration after the coming of Christianity to Rome. In time, the Roman Catholic leadership transferred the focus of the
celebration from Lupercus to St. Valentine who was martyred.
Why did the Church select the name
"St. Valentine" for this Roman festival? He was chosen because
of his martyrdom and the legend of his kindness and devotion to his Christian
faith.
The 3 Legends of
St. Valentine
Legend #1
The priest Valentine was arrested and put
into prison. He was incarcerated because he did not worship the Roman
gods. After being in prison for many years, he was presented to Claudius II
(known as Claudius the Cruel). Valentine stood by his convictions and still
refused to worship any other but his God. Claudius II was outraged.
The ruler sealed Valentine's fate and condemned him to die.
| Saint Valentine was beheaded on
February 14, 271. The execution took place on Rome’s Palatine Hill. In
A.D. 496, Pope Gelasius I declared February 14 the feast day of Saint
Valentine. |
In the meantime, Valentine had become friends with one of the prison guard’s
daughters who was blind. Valentine sent her a note
before he was martyred. When the girl opened the note, her sight was
restored. She could read the signature of the person who had signed the
note. The note was signed "from your Valentine."
Legend #2
Claudius II was interested in building a great army. He recognized
that married men would not make effective soldiers because they would be
concerned about their wives and families. To stem this problem, Claudius
II forbade young couples to marry. Valentine had great empathy for the
young couples who wanted to marry. He chose to marry couples in
secret. However, Valentine's service was discovered and he was put to
death for breaking the law.
Legend #3
Valentine loved flowers and tended a lovely flower garden where children
could enjoy their beauty and fragrance. When Valentine was in prison, the
children would bring him flowers from his garden. Accompanying the
bouquets were notes saying how they loved and missed him.
Return to Valentine's Day
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