- It is named after the martyred Christian saint named Valentine.
- He was a bishop who performed marriages between forbidden couples.
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Valentine's Day is celebrated every year on February 14.
The day is mostly recognized as a day of love, romance and beautiful flower bouquets.
The origin
Valentine's Day is also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine.
It is named after the martyred Christian saint named Valentine.
He was a bishop who performed marriages between forbidden couples.
There are however several martyrdom stories associated with various Saint Valentines connected to February 14.
Some of the stories also include an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century.
According to History Classics, 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, an imprisoned Valentine sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl possibly his jailor’s daughter who visited him during his confinement," they reported.
Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.
"Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and most importantly romantic figure," History Classics said.
Another common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare their husbands from war.
It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love.