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Legend says Valentine of Terni, a friendly priest who married young couples in love, died Feb. 14, 269. For this reason, Valentine’s Day is observed Feb. 14.
In many countries all over the world, Feb. 14 is the day when husbands and wives, girlfriends and boyfriends have romantic dinners and give gifts of candy, cards and flowers to show their love and affection.
The custom of giving flowers dates back to ancient Rome, where Valentine gave marriage advice to young people. He did this despite Emperor Claudius’ prohibition, who did not approve of his legionnaires becoming accustomed to having wives and homes.
But Valentine was looking for lovers, and when he found them he married them. Valentine would pass out flowers to young couples who were walking by the garden of his monastery, asking the men to stay at home and not go to battle.
One day, Emperor Claudius wanted to meet Valentine to find out about his wisdom. The emperor said they could be friends again if Valentine started to believe in Roman gods once again. But the priest told the emperor he never would ask him to do so if he knew about the glory of God and his son Christ; Valentine believed the Roman gods to be demons. Because of his beliefs, Valentine was considered to be a blasphemer and was sentenced to death. During a delay in the punishment, Valentine impressed the emperor with the truth of Christian belief.
The emperor was deeply touched, but when Rome’s governor said Valentine was a magician, the emperor feared a revolt by his people and passed Valentine on to Asterius, a judge, to decide his fate. While standing in front of the judge, Valentine performed a miracle. He made the judge’s blind daughter see again by praying and laying his hands on her. Asterius and his family got baptized after that. But because their new Christian belief was counter to Roman religion, they were tortured and killed.
Rome’s governor decided to torture Valentine and behead him on Feb. 14, 269. Before he was killed, many young people visited him in jail. One jail guard’s daughter came to see him several times. She helped him keep his spirits up and told him he did the right thing by ignoring the emperor and preaching his belief in Christianity.
On the day he was to die, he left a note thanking the girl for her friendship and loyalty. He signed it with, “Love, from your Valentine.” That might have started the custom of exchanging love messages on Feb. 14. One hundred years after Valentine’s death, he was canonized. In 1550, in memory of Valentine, a memorial chapel was built in St. Valentin in South Tyrol, Austria. Here, visitors can admire a wooden statue of the saint.
Since Valentine’s martyr death, Feb. 14 has been observed as a day of love. In former times on the night before Feb. 14, women tied laurel leaves to the four tips of their pillows.
This was supposed to be a guarantee for dreaming of their true love. People also believed a woman would marry the first man she saw outside her house on Valentine’s Day. This was enough reason for a young man to be out early in the morning and to reassure the feeling of his beloved one with a bouquet of flowers.
In the 18th century, people in love started to send romantic greeting cards. In Germany, recognition of Valentine’s Day started in the 1950s when American Soldiers brought the British tradition to Germany.
