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The origins of Valentine's Day

February 14th is Valentine's Day.Though celebrated as a lover's day with the giving of candy and flowers, it originated in 5th century Rome as tribute to ST.Valentine's Day, a Clatholic bishop.For 800 years prior to establishing Valentine's Day, the Rome had practised a pagan celebration in mid-February commemorating young men's rite of passage to the god Lupercus. The celebration featured a lottery in which young men would draw the means of teanage girls from a box. The girl assigned to each young man would be his sexual companion during the remaining year.

In an effort to do away with the pagan festival, Pope Gelasius ordered a change in the lottery. Instead of the names of girls, the box would contain the names of saints. Both men and women drew from the box, and emulated the ways of the saint they drew during the rest of the year. Needless to say, many Roman men were not pleased with the rule changes.

Instead of the pagan god Lupercus, the Church looked for a suitable patron saint of love to take his place.They found an appropriate choice in Valentine, who in AD 270 had been beheaded by Emperor Claudius. Convinced that married men made poor soldiers, Roman Emperor Claudius banned marriage from his empire. But the saint Valentine would secretly marry young couples that came to him. When Claudius found out about Valentine reversed the stategy, trying instead to convert Claudius. When he failed, he was stoned and beheaded.

During the days Valentine was imprisoned, he fell in love with the blind daughter of his jailor. His love for her and his gret faith miraculously healed her from blindness. Before he was killed, he signed a farewell message to her"From your Valentine". The phrase has been used ever since.

The mid-February holiday in mommemortion of St.Valentine was used to seck the affection of women. It became a tradition for men to give their beloved ones handwritten message of affection, containing Valentine's name. The first Valentine card grew out of this practice. The first true Valentine card was sent in 1415 by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London at the time.

Cupid often appeared on Valentine cards. The reason why Cupid became associated with the holiday is that he was the son of Venus, the Rome goddess of love and beauty.