Who is St. Valentine celebrated every 14th February?

The 14th day of February every year, across the globe, people exchange gifts, flowers, candy etc all in the
bid to express love to one another.

That day is called Valentine’s day. It is named after St. Valentine. But who is St. Valentine that the 14th day of February every year is named after him.

The History Of St.Valentine

The history of Valentine’s day has been a mystery but they are clear indications that it contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman traditions.

The Roman Catholic Church recognises three different Saints named Valentine or Valentinus (latin). All the three recognized Saint was martyred.

A version of the story of St. Valentine suggests that Valentine was a Roman Catholic Priest who defied Emperor Claudius II by continuing to perform marriage ceremonies for young lovers in secret. This was happening because
Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriages during the third century in Rome. He gave the reason that single men made better soldiers than married men.

Another version of the Valentine suggests that he may have been killed trying to rescue Christians from harsh Roman prisons where they were mostly beaten and tortured.

Yet another story also suggests that Valentine was imprisoned and fell in love with his jailor’s daughter who visited him during his incarceration. He was said to have sent the first Valentine greeting himself by sending the jailor’s daughter a letter signed “from your Valentine’ before his death. That expression is still in use today.

Although the stories behind St. Valentine are murky, the all indicate his act of expressing love to others that need it most.