Saint Valentine's Story

Valentine's Day,February 14th,remains a popular celebration in many different countries.A time when people send love messages with cards,flowers or elaborate boxes of chocolates.
On February 14th the shops are filled with gifts,cards and boxes of chocolates decorated with hearts,lace and red roses the symbols associated with Valentine's Day.Like other holidays,however,it has developed into a commercial event with little thought given to its origins.So why do we celebrate Valentine's Day and why does it continue to be so popular?
One theory is that Valentine's Day originates from a pagan fertility celebration,which honored Juno,queen of the Roman gods and goddesses of women and marriage.During the festival,women would write love letters and leave them in a large urn.The young men of Rome would then draw a note from the urn and ardently pursue the woman who wrote the letter.This custom came to an end when the Romans decided that it was better to choose their wives by at least seeing them first.
Another theory came from the Middle Ages.People sent love letters on February 14th,believing that was the day birds began to mate.No one knows,however,what led the Medieval Europeans to pinpoint that particular day.It is still winter in most of Europe at that time-a cold and dreary season that is not easily associated with the spring of life.It doesn't seem to have any religious connections either,despite the fact that during this period,religion had a great impact on society in northen Europe.
Many believe that Valentine's Day comes from a Christian celebration of Saint Valentine,but apparently there is more than one St Valentine.One of those saints was a Roman priest who practiced Christianity,perfoming secret marriages against the will of Roman emperor who ruled at that time.Before the priest was executed,he sent a note to jailer's daughter whom he had fallen in love with in his last days.He signed the note "Your Valentine",a phrase which is commonly used in valentine cards today.
Early Christians accepted the idea of a holiday honoring tha saint of romantic causes rather than one that recognizes a pagan festival.It is no longer,however,on the Catholic Church's calendar.The fact it has such a long history combining pagan and religious festivals,the celebration of Valentine's Day is not likely to disappear.You only have to take a glimpse at the stores on the days leading up to February 14th to realize that romanticism,though heavily commercial,is here to stay.