In the early fourth century B.C., the young
Roman man randomly drew the names of teenage women that were placed in a box.
Then, the a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year,
after which another lottery was staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel
practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice... They found an
answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been killed some two hundred years
earlier.
St. Valentine was a priest near Rome in about the year 270 A.D. At that time the
Roman Emperor Claudius-II who had decided to forbidding marriage. He did this to
assure quality soldiers, as they were fighting the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and
Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asian.
So, Valentine, being a bishop , seeing the trauma of young lovers, met them in a
secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. Claudius learned of
this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested. On February 24, 270, Valentine
was executed.
While Valentine was in prison awaiting his fate, he came in contact with his
jailor, Asterius. The jailor had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to
heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius' daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from
his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase
that lived ever after.
The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to
marry, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards
acquired St.Valentine's name.
The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all
over the world. One of the earliest card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of
Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. The card is
now preserved in the British Museum.
Today, Valentine's Day is a symbol of romance, love and companionship. Valentine's Day is celebrated by giving loved ones flowers, cards, gifts, and chocolate.
192 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second-most popular greeting-card-giving occasion.
Nearly 60 percent of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the holiday, making Valentine’s Day a procrastinator’s favorite holiday.
Some people said if you found a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved will have the other missing glove.
Valentine's Day for Kids, including gift ideas, recipes, history and games
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Created - October - 2006
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