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In the beginning
The holiday of Valentine's Day probably derives its origins from
the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia. In the early days of Rome,
fierce wolves roamed the woods nearby. The Romans called upon one
of their gods, Lupercus, to keep the wolves away. A festival held
in honor of Lupercus was celebrated February 15th. The festival
was celebrated as a spring festival. Their calender was different
at that time, with February falling in early springtime.
One of the customs of the young people was "name-drawing". On
the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls
were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young
man drew a slip. The girl whose name was chosen was to be his
sweetheart for the year
Legend has it that the holiday became Valentine's Day after a
priest named Valentine. Valentine was a priest in Rome at the
time Christianity was a new religion. The Emperor at that time,
Claudius II, ordered the Roman soldiers NOT to marry or become
engaged. Claudius believed that as married men, his soldiers would
want to stay home with their families rather than fight his wars.
Valentine defied the Emperor's decree and secretly married the
young couples. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and put
to death.
Valentine's demise fell on February 14th, the eve of the
Roman holiday Lupercalia. After his death, Valentine was named
a saint. As Rome became more Christian, the priests moved the
spring holiday from the 15th of February to the 14th - Valentine's
Day. Now the holiday honored Saint Valentine instead of Lupercus.
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