On Valentine’s Day each year, many exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special one “valentine.” It’s taken to be a day of romance and companionship where one expresses his/her feelings to the love of his/her life publicly.
The history of Valentine’s Day dates back to the 5th century and has origins in the Roman holiday Lupercalia. The exact details of the origin of Valentine’s Day have long been a mystery, but most stories point back to at least two martyred saints named Valentine.
According to the legends, the Roman Emperor Claudius II executed two men named
Valentine on Feb. 14 of different years.
Others claim that Valentine was a priest in third-century Rome. Claudius II thought that single men made better soldiers, so he banned young men from marrying. When Valentine defied this order and kept performing marriages, Claudius executed him.
They also claim that Valentine was killed for trying to help Christians escape Roman prisons. When he was imprisoned, he fell in love with a girl and sent her the first Valentine, a letter he signed “From your Valentine.”