Valentine’s day is definitely the most awaited day for all beautiful couples out there. Let us just forget about the singles for a moment, however, the story might sound interesting even to the history geeks though they’re singles.

More than 90% of the common couples don’t have a mere idea on the purpose and significance of Valentine’s day. Contrary to the rose givings, love quotations, and happy celebrations on February 14th, that are quite a beauty oriented, the real story behind this is full of blood and hypocrisy faced by a man for his hearty efforts against the authorities will.

Coming to the real story:

Roman Empire was ruled by Emperor Claudius II Gothic in the third century. He was nicknamed ‘Claudius the Cruel’ because of his harsh leadership and his tendency for getting into wars and abusing his people. In fact, he was getting into so many wars during the third century that he was having a difficult time recruiting enough soldiers for his standing army.

The emperor now believed that the recruitment for the army was down because Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families behind, so he cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Thousands of couples saw their hopes of matrimony dashed by the single act of a tyrant. And no one seemed interested in standing up to the emperor, everyone is literally scared.

Meanwhile, a simple Christian priest named Valentine did come forward and stood up for love. He began to secretly marry soldiers before they went off to war, despite the emperor’s orders. In 269 A.D, Emperor Claudius found out about the secret ceremonies. He had Valentine thrown into prison and deemed that he would be put to death.

While waiting for the execution, Valentine now fell in love with a blind girl who happened to be the jailer’s daughter. On the eve of his execution, with no writing instruments available, Valentine is said to have written her a sonnet in ink that he squeezed from violets. Legend has it that his words made the blind woman see again. It was a brief romance because the next day Valentine was clubbed to death by Roman executioners.

Verdict:

St. Valentine gave his life so that young couples could be bonded together in holy matrimony. They may have killed the man, but not his spirit. Even centuries after his death, the story of Valentine’s self-sacrificing commitment to love was legendary in Rome. Eventually, he was granted sainthood and the Catholic Church decided to create a feast in his honour. 

As he is executed on February 14th, that day is celebrated as Valentine’s day, recalling Valentine as the symbol of love and sacrifice.

So, now it is clear that the Valentine is the man behind Valentine’s day, the third century is the time the celebrations has started and February 14th is significant because this man was executed on that day.

Here’s A Video Visualizing The Whole Story: