Even though Saint Valentine died over 1,700 years ago we are still sending Valentines today. It seems that just as soon as the stores put away their Christmas merchandise, out comes the Valentine's Day items even though Valentine's is still more than six weeks away. It also seems to take many shoppers by surprise to see Valentine's Day merchandise so soon after Christmas. It has lead more than one shopper to wonder where Valentine’s Day comes from and whether it was invented to create more business when Christmas is over. The surprising truth is that Valentine’s Day has a long and rich history. It is simply not a “greeting card� holiday that was invented to sell more greeting cards or by candy companies to sell more candy or by florists to sell more roses.
The truth is astounding in the facts that show Valentine's Day actually started more than 1,500 years ago.
According to many legends, Valentine was a priest who defied the orders of the Roman emperor Claudius II and continued to perform marriages. It seems that Claudius, desperate to build up the ranks of his armies, came to the realization that young men did not want to join his army because they didn't want to leave their wives and sweethearts. In response to this Claudius outlawed marriage for men of a certain age group. The priest Valentine was sympathetic to all the young lovers were unable to marry and began marrying them in secret. When it was discovered that Valentine was still performing marriages in secret, Claudius was outraged and Valentine was sentenced to death.
The myths of Valentine become even murkier at this point. Some stories indicate that while imprisoned (either for the secret marriages or something else entirely) he allegedly cured the jailer's daughter of blindness, and on the night before his execution, sent a note to her signed "from your Valentine." He reportedly died on Feb. 14, 269 A.D. and was buried nearby by his devoted followers. Yet it was not until 496 AD that Pope Gelasius named February 14th as the day to honor St. Valentine.