Why do we celebrate Valentines Day ?????
Great question that deserves an honest answer. The story of St. Valentine, to me, doesn’t feel like a good enough reason to make a holiday out of it. A day to celebrate the ones we love; but if we really loved someone every day would be a celebration for that. Valentine’s day has just turned into another gift giving superficial holiday. It is sad that we use love as an excuse to gain roses, chocolate and presents. As a society, people have gotten to the point where holidays are the only time they’ll have sex… which, to me, is even sadder. I guess, essentially, Valentine’s Day was created so people don’t forget what love is because they neglect it every other day and so to create an extra holiday so people can get laid because that can become neglectful too. Love should be celebrated everyday and not by signature pink and red roses and boxes of chocolate but by simple gestures of affection.
Written by a woman.
The story of Valentine’s Day takes us back to the year 270 A.D. and the reign of Claudius II. Claudius II, emperor of Rome, had formerly been a general under Emperor Valerian. When Claudius II succeeded Valerian, he continued to exercise his instinct for war. While in conflict with the Gauls, Claudius II came to the realization that married men are inferior at warfare, due to their personal attachments. Moreover, married men had a tendency to even avoid joining the army. To remedy this situation, Claudius II outlawed marriage. Valentine, or Valentinus as he was known, lived in Rome at this time, and was outraged at the decree of this warmongering emperor. He refused to follow it. Valentine became a haven for young couples hoping to enter the Sacrament of Marriage. He married them in private, until eventually he was captured and imprisoned. Valentine’s devotion to God and love continued while he was in jail.
stolen from http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/ Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? 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, single men — his crop of potential soldi
