St. Valentine, you've probably heard of him. You do dedicate an entire day to him, after all. Do you even know why?
Believe it or not, February 14 has not always been about sparkly jewelry, heart shaped boxes of chocolates, and adorable teddy bears. It's a day set aside to celebrate a bishop who was a martyr for marriage. His name? St. Valentine of the Roman Empire. You see, under the rule of Claudius II, it was decided unmarried men make better soldiers. (Maybe because there would be less collateral damage when they died, maybe because they were more used to being lonely, who knows?) Valentine disagreed with this practice, though. He took pity on the young men who weren't allowed to marry, and gave them proper christian weddings. (in secret, of course).
There you have it, the story behind the holiday. <3
