1. Valentine's Day started during the time of the Roman Empire.
2. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno, the Queen of the Roman Goddesses and the Goddess of marriage.
3. Young Roman boys and girls rarely saw each other because they had separate schools and activities. However, on February 14th the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each boy would draw a girl's name from the jar. Then, they would be paired together to attend a special festival. Sometimes this pairing lasted an entire year. Sometimes the couples would fall in love and get married.
4. After this time, Rome had many wars and it was hard to get soldiers to leave their families and fight in the wars. So, Emporer Claudius II cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome.
5. Saint Valentine was a priest in Rome during this time. He secretly married couples who wanted to get married. He was arrested and put into prison. Legends say he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter while he was in prison. He sent the first “valentine” to her. He declared his love for her and signed it from “Your Valentine”.
6. St. Valentine was condemned to death. He was killed on February 14th, 270. Eventually, February 14th became the date for couples to exchange love messages and Saint Valentine became the patron of saint of lovers.
7. In America, the first valentines were sold in the 1800’s. Valentines Day has become very popular. Many couples exchange gifts, become engaged, or get married on this day.
