Who Is Valentine?

A Brief History Of Valentine's Day

In ancient Rome, the date of February 14 was a holiday commemorating the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses, Juno. In honor of Juno, boys were matched with girls by drawing names from a lot. Also during the month of February, the Romans celebrated a feast named Lupercalia in honor or the god Lupercus, who protected the Roman shepherds and their flocks from wolves.

During early Christianity, Christian priests adopted the martyred bishop named Valentine as a replacement for Lupercalia, in the hope of diminishing the influence of the Pagan rituals and practices.

In A.D. 269, the Roman emperor Claudius II had Valentine, bishop of Interamna, imprisoned and later executed for disobeying his order to not allow any man or woman to be wed. The emperor felt that married men made poor soldiers due to their sentimental attachment to their wives.

During his confinement, the bishop fell in love with the jailer's daughter and was known to write her romantic letters signed "Your Valentine."

Reprinted with permission from The Love Almanac
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Edited by Katrina Fried & Lena Tabori