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A Celebration of Lovers
Naturally, the legend surrounding the original Valentine is a romantic tale.
In the third century, Roman Emperor Claudius II decided that his armies would
be most effective if they were comprised of young, unmarried men who weren't
tied down by wives or families. To this end, Claudius outlawed marriage for
men in their fighting prime.
A certain Bishop Valentine allegedly saw the injustice of Claudius'
proclamation and continued to wed young lovers in secret. When he was
discovered, Claudius sentenced Valentine to death and had him imprisoned.
While in prison, Valentine is said to have fallen in love with the jailer's
daughter, who visited him regularly in his confinement. He declared his
love in his last letter to her before his execution and signed it, "From
your Valentine."
Long after Claudius II, a festival in honor of Lupercus, a fertility god,
became increasing popular among adolescents. During the mid-February celebration,
each young man chose the name of a teenage girl by lottery to be his sexual
companion for the coming year. The Catholic church sought to cease the pagan
ritual and looked for a patron saint to attract the attentions of the frolicking
youth away from Lupercian traditions. Thus they heralded Valentine, beheaded by
Claudius II in 270 AD (possibly to the great loss of a jailer's daughter) the
Patron Saint of Love, and the mid-February ceremony morphed over time into
our February 14 "St. Valentine's Day."
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