February 14th
is the day we openly show our love to the special people in our lives all in
the name of St. Valentine. But did you ever wonder who Valentine was and how
the tradition began?
One story
says that Emperor Claudius II, having decided that single men made the best
solders, declared it illegal for young males to marry. Valentine felt this was
wrong and continued to perform these illegal marriages in secret. When Claudius
discovered Valentine's actions, the Emperor ordered Valentine put to death.
In another
version, Valentine was killed as he helped Christians escape tortuous Roman
prisons.
Another
legend says Valentine actually sent the first lovelorn greeting when he, himself,
was a prisoner and fell in love with his jailer's daughter. He is said to have
signed "From your Valentine," an expression still printed on billions
of greeting cards to this day.
Whichever
story is true, St. Valentine is always celebrated as a kind, compassionate—and most
importantly—romantic hero.
But why
February 14th? It could be that the celebration started to
commemorate St. Valentine's death, which was most probably around AD 270.
However, some might say that mid-February being the beginning of the mating
season of birds might have had something to do with the chosen date. Makes
great sense to me; nothing spells romance like listening to the chirps, warbles,
and squawks of those procreatin' birds.
Now here are
a couple of interesting facts…
·
According to the Greeting Card Association, approximately one billion
Valentine's Day cards are purchased each year, making Valentine's Day the
second largest card-sending holiday (bested only by Christmas).
·
85% of all valentine's are purchased by women. (What the heck is wrong
with you men out there? Every February you're offered a prime opportunity to
gain some precious lover-boy points and only 15% of the flippin' cards are purchased by you! Get with it, already.)
So now that we know who St. Valentine might have been and how the date might have been chosen... (I'm glad I could be so definitively informative) what
special something will you do for that special someone in your life?
