Valentine’s Day did not begin with Hallmark, although it certainly seems to have ended with it. There is a collection of stories that helps to explain the origin of Valentine’s Day.

The first story is set in ancient Rome. For the Romans, Feb. 14 was a day set aside to honor Juno Februata, the queen of all of the Roman gods and goddesses. She was also considered the goddess of women and marriage. On Feb. 15, the Romans continued their honoring with the kickoff of The Feast of Lupercalia. The month of February took place during springtime on the Roman calendar and so this feast was considered a vernal festival.

Although the lives of young boys and girls were separate, during this event every male would draw a female’s name from a jar, thus creating a partnership for the duration of the festival. In some cases, these pairings would last much longer than that and would eventually lead to marriage.

The next story, which is shrouded in debate, historically takes place in third-century Rome, many years later. Valentine was a priest who lived during tumultuous times filled with bloody expeditions by Emperor Claudius II. Through all the warfare, he never ceased to perform his duties and serve for his fellow citizens. His simple message was that love conquers all.

The Roman emperor, also known as Claudius the Cruel, felt differently. One day he came to the conclusion that single men made for the best soldiers and that wives only got in the way of things. Taking decisive action, Claudius banned marriage for young males with the intention of creating perfect soldiers for the brutal times.

In the new law, Valentine saw injustice and the degradation of something truly important. Behind the emperor’s back, he wed young lovers anyway, despite the decree. These concealed nuptials were performed by Valentine as often as possible. Sadly, the marriages could not stay secret forever.

Claudius found out what had been going on and ordered that Valentine be put to death at once. An alternate version of the story is that Valentine was condemned for helping Christians escape from Roman prisons, where beatings and torture were commonplace. While in jail awaiting his execution, Valentine fell in love with a girl who was the daughter of the man guarding his cell. Prior to his death, he wrote her one last parting letter. It was signed “From your Valentine.”

On Feb. 14, 270 A.D., coinciding with the traditional Festival of Lupercalia, Valentine was beheaded before the eyes of the malevolent Emperor Claudius. The great priest entered sainthood and was held in high regard as a symbol of love. After that, early Christians in Rome continued on with the usual festival in mid-February but decided to drop the pagan elements of it and renamed the celebration after Saint Valentine.

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