Many of us all around the world will today (14/02) be celebrating Valentine’s Day, but exactly what are the origins of the famous day?
The day’s namesake can be traced back all the way to Ancient Rome to St Valentine, who is now seen by the majority of Christians as the patron saint of love.
There are many conflicting stories about St Valentine but the most widely recognised one is that he was a priest who served under Emperor Claudius II during the third century.
Claudius II believed that single men made better soldiers than married men with families, so he decided to outlaw marriage for young men in a bid to strengthen his armies.
St Valentine is alleged to have defied Claudius by performing many marriages for young lovers in secret as he thought the emperor’s ruling was unjust. However, St Valentine was eventually found out and Claudius II ordered him to put to death.
While imprisoned, he sent the first “valentine” greeting card to a young girl he recently fell in love with. This girl was potentially his jailor’s daughter who visited him during confinement.
Just before his death he apparently wrote a love letter to her signed at end “from your Valentine” which is a phrase still used today.
Although the exact origins around the day are still somewhat debated, all the stories around St Valentine truly highlight the importance of romance and finding love in life.
