Where Did Valentine's Day Come From?

Wondering how Valentine's Day came about? HappyNews.com has a great article about the history of Valentine's Day. Here are some of the highlights from the article:

"It shouldn't surprise you that it all began in Rome, Italy in the second half of the third century. Italian being referred to as a Romance language, the holiday is credited to none other than St. Valentine, the patron saint of amore.' Today the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred."

"Emperor Claudius II (not a very nice person), whose reign lasted from approximately 268-270 A.D., historians theorize, banned marriage completely. A Roman priest named Valentine thought the Emperor's decree unjust and just plain mean. In spite of all this, Valentine continued to marry couples in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

While in jail waiting to be put to death, a young girl came to visit him regularly. Valentine was quite taken with her, and she turned out to be the jailor's daughter. He did not get to see her one last time before he met the grim reaper, but he did write her a letter and signed it, "From your Valentine".

To read the complete article, go to HappyNews.com.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Make it a great day!