Valentine’s Day History

Sydnee Cook, Staff Writer

If for some reason you don’t know what this holiday is; Valentine’s Day, also known as the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a holiday celebrated on February 14th. It’s a day associated with love, and sending anonymous cards that someone is attracted to. Approximately 1 billion love cards are exchanged every year on this day which makes Valentine’s Day the second largest card giving time of the year, after Christmas.
Surprisingly, many people don’t know how this day originated. It all started out on 176 AD in Terni, Italy, a boy was born, who later became known as Saint Valentine. He was a widely known and mysterious third-century Roman saint, with very little reliably known facts about him. “When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. 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.” Says history.com. He was then buried on February 14th, 273 AD. Which later became known as Valentine’s Day.
Another very popular reference to Valentine’s Day is Cupid. Which in Latin Cupido means “desire.” Cupid is the god of desire, attraction, and affection. He is often said to be the son of the love god Venus, and the war god Mars. Cupid is often seen with a bow and arrow, and when you are shot with one of his arrows, you become filled with uncontrollable desire.
Unfortunately, not everyone has a Valentine every year. And if you’re one of those many people, don’t worry, you’re not alone. But you can celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD) on the 14th, too. If you do have a Valentine, make sure you treat that person as if it’s Valentine’s Day every day!