by Veronica Shine

Created on: February 07, 2009

February 14th is nearing and around the world, some form of cards, chocolates, flowers or gifts are exchanged. It is a holiday just as important to the receiver as it is to the sellers of these products. St. Valentines Day is one day that is the biggest in sales in certain sectors of the card, floral, candy. spa and jewelry industries.

Keep the tradition alive by making the day a special one for you, your loved ones and friends. Celebrate it your way whether romantic or platonic. The origins may have begun with a fictitious individual equated with this day; Cupid.

The actual Latin word is cupido, means "desire." In Roman mythology Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love and in the Greek mythology version he is Eros, god of love. Cupid is known to shoot his arrows on both gods and mortals. The after effect from a wound caused by him is to fall in love.

The Catholic Church may have played indirectly as it recognizes several different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. Some whom may or may not be affiliated with the holiday include:

Valentinus was a candidate for bishop in the year 143 AD but broke with the Church and developed his Gnostic doctrine.

One other Basilius Valentinus was a monk who came on the scene much later in the 15th Century.

There was a Pope Valentine but his legacy offers very little information, other than he lasted as pope only for thirty or forty days in 827.

A Roman Emperor, known as "last great western emperor" bearing the name Valentinian I in 364 seems to have no connection to this worship of love.

Is there a real St. Valentine pertaining to the holiday we celebrate?

Parallel to the anonymous St. Nick, there are thousand stories spun about St. Valentine. The accounts pertaining to the symbol of love, passion and friendship appears it will always remain a mystery with plentiful myths along the trail.

One such "urban legend" suggests that Valentine was actually a priest during the third century in Rome. At that time, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for the young men of the nation, while on their way to war. The emperor felt unmarried soldiers would be better soldiers. They would focus on their task better than those who had a diversion of a wife and family.

Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages in secret refusing to give up the sanctity of Christianity beliefs. In 269 A.D, Valentine was discovered of breaking the law. The Emperor proclaimed the death penalty for Valentine on ironically

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