Feb 14, 20191 min
Author: Matilda Williams
Valentine's day: you either love or hate it. Most people consider it as a day where you give your crush, friend or partner flowers, chocolates and teddy bears. Most people don’t consider it as a day with origin, like Christmas or Easter, but it does in fact have an origin.
In one version of the tale, St. Valentine was a priest who live over 1000 years ago. During his time, an emperor named Claudius II ruled over Rome. Claudius thought that single men made better soldiers than married men and made marriage illegal for all young men who were in his army. Apparently, Valentine helped young couples get married in secret. When the emperor found out, he was livid. He imprisoned Valentine and sentenced him to death. According to legend, the couples came to where Valentine was imprisoned, and sent him cards and flowers.
This is only one version of the tale. The other one goes like this:
Valentine was a man in prison. He fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before he was sentenced to death, he sent the first “valentine”. He wrote a letter and signed it “from your valentine”.
Next Valentine’s day, you can tell everyone that you know the origin of it!