by Kelley Farrell

Created on: February 23, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Valentines Day is a holiday shrouded in mystery. Some say it celebrates the death of St. Valentine. The stories for this vary, one story claims Valentine continued to marry young couples after it was made illegal. When found out by the Roman emperor, he was ordered to be put to death. Another story suggests that he met his downfall while trying to help Christian's escape Roman prisons. It is also believed that Valentine fell in love with a girl while in prison. Before his death he wrote her a note which he signed "From your Valentine"; a phrase still very commonly used today.

Valentines Day also falls around the time of the Pagan festival of Lupercalia, a fertility festival that takes place around the ides of February, or February the 15th. The Christian church, in attempt to turn worshipers from the Pagan religion to Christianity, began to celebrate Valentines Feast in the middle of February.

We do know that in 498 AD, Pope Gelasius declared February the 14th St. Valentines Day.

Although the history of Valentines Day is still somewhat a mystery, it is obvious that the story of St. Valentine is a romantic one. Whether it lay in his ideals or his love of a girl is for each person to decide.

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