By Agnes KICONCO
KIU, Main Campus - As it is known to many as a day of love, Valentine's Day is celebrated every 14th February. Across the world, chocolate, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.
The day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. In history, Valentine’s Day stretches to back to a time when the Catholic Church recognized three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend explains that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Still others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’s daughter—who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today.
Though the actual truth behind Valentine's day is dim, all the stories rotate around a heroic and romantic figure.
Therefore whether you and your significant other have been together for years or just a little while, it's important to spend this day with your loved one as you share messages of love and also exchange tokens of affecion.
