Death... In The Name Of Love
Lover, Martyr & Saint: Behind The Valentine's Holiday
Legend has it that Valentine's Day emerged, ironically, out of the warring, evil times of yore. Back in 269 AD (Remember the good ol' days?), Emperor Claudius II, a.k.a. Claudius The Cruel, after many bloody and unpopular campaigns, banned marriage within the Roman Empire. Mr. Cruel's military lacked not only numbers but also ambition, and simply put, none of the Roman men wanted to join, preferring to remain at home with families and special fancies! ;-)
The plot thickens when Bishop Valentine (the original Love Doctor) shows up and performs private (and illegal!) engagement and marriage ceremonies. So far so good, right? Not in the slightest! Mr. Cruel discovered such blatant disobedience and sent poor Mr. Valentine to prison.
While awaiting his wretched execution, Valentine befriended and fell madly in love with the jailer's daughter. It so happens she was also blind, but by the infinite powers of love, faith, and affection, he miraculously restored her vision.
Upon the day of his death, he wrote her a farewell message graciously thanking her for her friendship and loyalty, and he signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
The date is February 14, 270, the holiday that traditionally paid homage to Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. Instead of celebration St. Valentine was beaten to death then beheaded; through which he suffered martyrdom. How sick and twisted times were then to receive the Death Penalty for something as virtuous as Love and Devotion! Perhaps that's how we also got the phrase "Love is Cruel".
Combining the existing pagan holiday with both romantic love and the ironic twist of Christian martyrdom, February 14th has since become officially known throughout much of the world as "St. Valentine's Day"!
It's Official!
Lupercalia, an ancient and annual Roman festival, was held on February 15th to honor Faunus, god of fertility and forests. The early Roman Christian church wanted to do away with Lupercalia so they replaced it with Saint Valentine's Day by backing up the celebration one day to February 14th to officially commemorate Valentine's Execution.
Early Blind Dates
During the Middle Ages, the saint's day incorporated a "love raffle" of sorts, in which young single women dropped their names in a bowl, from which young single men drew out their prospective loved ones' names and wore them upon their sleeves; hence the phrase "to wear your heart on your sleeve."