Origins of Saint Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine's Day, celebrated as the Feast of Saint Valentine, is based on Christian lore. One version of the Valentine myth has been attributed to the Roman Empire's rejection and execution of Valentine of Rome, a Catholic priest. The recounting has Saint Valentine brought before Emperor Claudius II of Rome. Claudius, originally skeptical, grew to like him. Not wishing his death any longer, Claudius tried to persuade Valentine to become a pagan. Valentine responded by trying to talk Claudius into becoming a Christian. He did not succeed and was executed.

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Before he died, Valentine restored the sight of his jailer's daughter. This led to a mass conversion of the daughter's large family, including family servants. On the eve of Valentine's execution, he had delivered to the daughter a card signed "Your Valentine". The gesture caught the public's imaginations, which have passed down the story one generation to the next. The complimentary close, "Your Valentine", turned into the commercial message, "From Your Valentine".

Towards the end of the 18th century, a compendium of love sentiments called "The Young Man's Valentine Writer" helped young swains impress their ladyloves with flowery verses. Soon, forerunners to the greeting-card industry began printing paper valentines, replete with Victorian lace and ribbons.

By the 1800s, personalized cards yielded to mass-marketing of Valentine cards by greeting-card companies. Since the 1950s, sentiments of love have expanded to red roses, chocolates, and jewelry. Growing use of e-cards in the last decade has added another channel of revenue, with approximately 15 million e-valentines sent electronically in 2010.

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Nold says...

Here is an animated video version on history of valentine:


It tells exactly how Valentine was captured by Claudius, and was executed, right after he wrote the eternally remembered 'from your Valentine' letter.

Feel free to embed the video, it is using CC

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