From the ArcaMax Publishing, Features Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/features/s-39302-191078
As friends and lovers everywhere prepare to celebrate Valentine's Day,
we thought it would be nice to take a look back at the origins of this
very special holiday. It may surprise you to learn that there's more
to the story than Cupid shooting arrows into the unsuspecting hearts
of potential suitors.
Late in the third century, around 270 A.D., the Roman Empire was in a
downward spiral that it never quite recovered from. There were ever
increasing threats from outside invaders, not to mention the lack of
qualified men to serve in the government and the military. The
reigning emperor, Claudius II, decided that single men were better
suited than married men to serve in these capacities so he decided to
ban marriage.
A local Christian bishop, Valentine, secretly continued to offer the
sacrament of marriage to couples who desired to do so. When Claudius
learned of this he had Valentine arrested and ordered him to convert
to worshipping the pagan Roman gods.
Instead of converting, Valentine, displaying great dignity and valor,
turned the tables on Claudius and attempted to convert him to
Christianity even though the consequence could be his death. Claudius
was unpersuaded and on the 24th of February he had Valentine executed.
While in prison, tradition has it that the jailer in charge asked
Bishop Valentine to pray for his blind daughter to be healed. Through
Valentine's prayers the daughter's sight was miraculously restored.
Afterward Valentine penned a note to the daughter and signed it "from
your Valentine."
That's the traditional story of the beginning of what we now celebrate
as St. Valentine's Day. As usual, truth is stranger than fiction.
Courtesy of eZineArticles.com