How much do you know about the history of Valentine's?

MANILA, Philippines - The celebration of Valentine's Day is being observed in different parts of the world for quite a while now. Next to Christmas, Valentine's is one of the most popular holidays of the year, with the romantic mood kicking off as early as the first day of February. But have you ever wondered how this special day of giving gifts and making sweet gestures to our loved ones came to be?

Who is Valentine?

According to www.history.com, the Catholic church recognizes three martyr saints who went by the name of Valentine or Valentinus. During the third century in Rome, there was a priest named Valentine who defied Emperor Claudius's order to outlaw marriage for young men so they can be soldiers instead. The priest continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret, and when the emperor knew about it, he ordered Valentine to be killed.

Some stories, on the other hand, suggest that Valentine was killed in an attempt to help Christians escape persecution from the Romans. One legend says Valentine sent the first Valentine's greeting to the daughter of one of his jailors whom he fell in love with. The message was signed, "From your Valentine." He died in the middle of February, and his reputation for being romantic got popular during the Middle Ages in England and France, and it persisted in the present time.

Pagan roots

While there is a Christian story behind Valentine's, it was also believed that the celebration got its roots from the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, which traced its roots from Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Roman founders Romulus and Remus. Some say the church decided to celebrate Valentine's Day a day before Lupercalia to Christianize the pagan celebration.

During Lupercalia, women would place their names in a big urn and single men would choose a name from it. The bachelors would be paired to their chosen women, and the pairing would often end up in marriage. By the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius declared February 14 as St. Valentine's Day and Lupercalia was outlawed for being un-Christian.

Valentine greetings and romantic gestures

Written Valentine's Day greetings appeared in 1400, and one of the oldest known valentine was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife when he was jailed in the Tower of London.

During the Middle Ages, French and English people believed that February 14 was the start of the birds' mating season, which added to the belief that Valentine's Day is meant for romance.