"The story of Valentine's Day begins in the third century with
an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian Martyr. The emperor was
Claudius II. The Christian was Valentinus.
Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ; not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs. He was arrested and imprisoned.
Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ; not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs. He was arrested and imprisoned.
During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a remarkable thing
happened. Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his
daughter, Julia, might be brought to Valentinus for lessons. She had been
blind since birth. Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind.
Valentinus read stories of Rome's history to her. He described the world of
nature to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw the
world through his eyes, trusted his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet
strength.
"Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?" Julia asked one
day.
"Yes, my child, He hears each one."
"Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I
pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you've told me about!"
"God does what is best for us if we will only believe in Him,"
Valentinus said.
"Oh, Valentinus, I do believe! I do!" She knelt and grasped
his hand.
They sat quietly together, each praying. Suddenly there was a
brilliant light in the prison cell. Radiant, Julia screamed, "Valentinus, I
can see! I can see!"
"Praise be to God!" Valentinus exclaimed, and he knelt in
prayer.
The following info is from here
Let the Valentines Begin!
(If they haven't already.)
On the eve of his death Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia,
urging her to stay close to God. He signed it, "From your Valentine." His
sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that
was later named Porta Valentini in his memory. He was buried at what is now
the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that Julia planted a pink-blossomed
almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding
love and friendship. On each February 14, Saint Valentine's Day, messages of
affection, love, and devotion are exchanged around the world."
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
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Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s.
In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap."
Let the Valentines Begin!
(If they haven't already.)
