The shops are bursting with heart emblazoned cards, cuddly toys and dozens upon dozens of red roses. It can only mean one thing….
Valentine’s Day is here!
It is a tradition we embrace (some more willingly than others) every year, but do we ever stop to consider where Valentine’s Day originated from?
The day actually owes its name to a famous saint, St Valentine. It is believed St Valentine was a priest from Rome during the third century AD.
At this particular time, the Emperor Claudius II had banned marriage amongst his troops as he believed married men were bad soldiers and demanded they remain bachelors.
However, Valentine felt this was unfair and decided to break the rules. He became a love vigilante and arranged marriages for star-crossed-lovers in secret.
It was only a matter of time until Claudius found out. When Valentine was discovered to be conducting marriages in secret, he was thrown in jail and sentenced to death.
It was in jail Valentine fell in love with the jailer’s daughter.
The day he was sent to his death, the 14th of Feb, he left her a love letter which was simply signed ‘From your Valentine’.
Photo: Michelle Wood Photography