Valentine’s Day Origins Possibly Found In Paganism
 

Just like Christmas, Valentine’s Day probably started as a pagan celebration. Roman citizens marked Lupercalia on Feb. 15, as early as the fourth century BC. Basically, each year the names of all the adolescent females were placed in a box and each one was randomly selected by an adolescent male. During the following year, the couples developed relationships many of which culminated in marriage.

Pope Galasius outlawed the festival in 496 AD. He Christianized the holiday by maintaining the special day and the lottery. Instead of a girl’s name, the young men received the name of a saint whom they were to be like for the rest of the year.

There are several stories of how St. Valentine became involved with the holiday. One of the most popular involves the Bishop of Interamna. Claudius was the emperor of Rome at the time and badly in need of soldiers. Thinking single men would leave home to fight more readily, he outlawed marriage.

Bishop Valentine defied the emperor and secretly continued to perform marriages. He was discovered and sentenced to death. He died in February AD 269. One legend surrounding his death involves the daughter of Valentine’s jailer. Supposedly, while waiting execution he developed a friendship with her. He wrote to her and signed the letter, “From Your Valentine.” Valentine became a saint for his martyrdom and Pope Galasius made him the patron of his newly created holiday.