Whats the story behind St. Valantines day?

Answer 1

The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

Answer 2

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá ’le Pádraig or Lá Fhéile Pádraig), colloquially St. Paddy's Day or Paddy's Day, is an annual banquet day which celebrates Saint Patrick (circa 385–461 advert), between the buyer saints of eire, and is quite often celebrated on March 17. The day is the national trip of eire. that's a financial business enterprise trip in Northern eire, and a public trip interior the Republic of eire, Montserrat, and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. contained in something of Canada, the united kingdom, Australia, the united states and New Zealand, that's particularly celebrated yet isn't an valid trip. It became a banquet day interior the Roman Catholic Church because of the impression of the Waterford-born Franciscan pupil Luke Wadding[a million] interior the early element of the seventeenth century, and is a holy day of criminal duty for Roman Catholics in eire. The date of the banquet is each and every now and then moved by using church government while March 17 falls for the period of Holy Week; this final occurred in 1940 while Saint Patrick's Day replaced into talked approximately on 3 April as a manner to ward off it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and could ensue back in 2008, while that's going to be hung on the two March 14[2][3] or March 15.[4] After 2008, March seventeenth won't fall for the period of Holy Week back till 2160.[5]

Answer 3

Geoffrey Chaucer, better know for Canterbury Tales, should perhaps receive honor as the real Saint Valentine. Although reference books abound with mention of Roman festivals from which Valentine's Day—the day for lovers—may be derived, Jack B. Oruch has shown that no evidence exists to support these connections and that Chaucer is most likely the first to link the saint's day with the custom of choosing sweethearts. No link between the day and lovers exists before the time of Chaucer and several literary contemporaries who also mention it, but after them the link becomes widespread, a circumstance that makes it seem likely that Chaucer, the most imaginative of the group, invented the tradition. The fullest and perhaps earliest description of the tradition occurs in Chaucer's Parlement of Foules, composed around 1380, which takes place “on Seynt Valentynes day,/Whan every foul cometh there to chese [choose] his make [mate].”

If you want the Truth....Ask a Pagan.

Answer 4

This one I know. Not all of this is accepted by the church but through my research (sorry I can't remember the sources) he was an advocate of marriage. One of the reasons St. Valentine became a priest was because he believe so strongly in the sanctitiy of marriage. He was renound for marrying anyone who wanted to get married, even couples who the church said could not. In his time marriage was not allowed in certain circumstances such as two people of different religions or in some cases two people of different races and in all cases (as now) two people of the same sex, homosexual marriages. St. Valentine didn't differentiate. As far as he was concerned, if you loved someone enough to spend the rest of your life with them then you deserve a valid marriage ceremony and he provided that service. The church grew angry with him and forced him underground but he continued his services. I'm sure that the church will deny the homosexual marriages now (not that that was a large portion or anything but it did happen) but the church eventually realized that race shouldn't come between two people and cannonized him for realizing this before his time. I'm not sure if they admire him for the inter-religious marriages as well or not. I would imagine not.

Answer 5

This is how I remember the story:

The original St. Valentine was imprisoned for being a practicing Christian when it was not popular to go against the State religion. The jailer had a blind daughter who befriended Valentine during his imprisonment. Just before he was executed for being Christian, he performed the miracle of restoring his little friend's sight. She planted a pink almond tree in his memory. The Church canonized him as a Saint.

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Answer 6

St Valentine had options
and the powers that be wanted him to narrow those options down to one.
He wouldnt because he couldnt
and thats how he went to the grave.

Answer 7

it is stated that it was named after a roman emperor by the name of valentinian the III

Answer 8

Gangsters.

Answer 9

some silly card firm wanted men to waste money

Answer 10

Sophis B has the right answer. She is exactly right