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ThehistoryofValentine'sDay—anditspatronsaint—isshroudedinmystery.ButwedoknowthatFebruaryhaslongbeenamonthofromance.St.Valentine'sDay,asweknowittoday,containsvestigesofbothChristianandancientRomantradition.So,whowasSaintValentineandhowdidhebecomeassociatedwiththisancientrite?Today,theCatholicChurchrecognizesatleastthreedifferentsaintsnamedValentineorValentinus,allofwhomweremartyred.OnelegendcontendsthatValentinewasapriestwhoservedduringthethirdcenturyinRome.WhenEmperorClaudiusIIdecidedthatsinglemenmadebettersoldiersthanthosewithwivesandfamilies,heoutlawedmarriageforyoungmen—hiscropofpotentialsoldiers.Valentine,realizingtheinjusticeofthedecree,defiedClaudiusandcontinuedtoperformmarriagesforyoungloversinsecret.WhenValentine'sactionswerediscovered,Claudiusorderedthathebeputtodeath.OtherstoriessuggestthatValentinemayhavebeenkilledforattemptingtohelpChristiansescapeharshRomanprisonswheretheywereoftenbeatenandtortured.Accordingtoonelegend,Valentineactuallysentthefirst"valentine"greetinghimself.Whileinprison,itisbelievedthatValentinefellinlovewithayounggirl—whomayhavebeenhisjailor'sdaughter—whovisitedhimduringhisconfinement.Beforehisdeath,itisallegedthathewroteheraletter,whichhesigned"FromyourValentine,"anexpressionthatisstillinusetoday.AlthoughthetruthbehindtheValentinelegendsismurky,thestoriescertainlyemphasizehisappealasasympathetic,heroic,and,mostimportantly,romanticfigure.It'snosurprisethatbytheMiddleAges,ValentinewasoneofthemostpopularsaintsinEnglandandFrance.WhilesomebelievethatValentine'sDayiscelebratedinthemiddleofFebruarytocommemoratetheanniversaryofValentine'sdeathorburial—whichprobablyoccurredaround270A.D—othersclaimthattheChristianchurchmayhavedecidedtocelebrateValentine'sfeastdayinthemiddleofFebruaryinaneffortto"christianize"celebrationsofthepaganLupercaliafestival.InancientRome,Februarywastheofficialbeginningofspringandwasconsideredatimeforpurification.Houseswererituallycleansedbysweepingthemoutandthensprinklingsaltandatypeofwheatcalledspeltthroughouttheirinteriors.Lupercalia,whichbeganattheidesofFebruary,February15,wasafertilityfestivaldedicatedtoFaunus,theRomangodofagriculture,aswellastotheRomanfoundersRomulusandRemus.Tobeginthefestival,membersoftheLuperci,anorderofRomanpriests,wouldgatheratthesacredcavewheretheinfantsRomulusandRemus,thefoundersofRome,werebelievedtohavebeencaredforbyashe-wolforlupa.Thepriestswouldthensacrificeagoat,forfertility,andadog,forpurification.Theboysthenslicedthegoat'shideintostrips,dippedtheminthesacrificialbloodandtooktothestreets,gentlyslappingbothwomenandfieldsofcropswiththegoathidestrips.Farfrombeingfearful,Romanwomenwelcomedbeingtouchedwiththehidesbecauseitwasbelievedthestripswouldmakethemmorefertileinthecomingyear.Laterintheday,accordingtolegend,alltheyoungwomeninthecitywouldplacetheirnamesinabigurn.Thecity'sbachelorswouldtheneachchooseanameoutoftheurnandbecomepairedfortheyearwithhischosenwoman.Thesematchesoftenendedinmarriage.PopeGelasiusdeclaredFebruary14St.Valentine'sDayaround498A.D.TheRoman"lottery"systemforromanticpairingwasdeemedun-Christianandoutlawed.Later,duringtheMiddleAges,itwascommonlybelievedinFranceandEnglandthatFebruary14wasthebeginningofbirds'matingseason,whichaddedtotheideathatthemiddleofFebruary—Valentine'sDay—shouldbeadayforromanceTheoldestknownvalentinestillinexistencetodaywasapoemwrittenbyCharles,DukeofOrleanstohiswifewhilehewasimprisonedintheTowerofLondonfollowinghiscaptureattheBattleofAgincourt.Thegreeting,whichwaswrittenin1415,ispartofthemanuscriptcollectionoftheBritishLibraryinLondon,England.Severalyearslater,itisbelievedthatKingHenryVhiredawriternamedJohnLydgatetocomposeavalentinenotetoCatherineofValois.InGreatBritain,Valentine'sDaybegantobepopularlycelebratedaroundtheseventeenthcentury.Bythemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury,itwascommonforfriendsandloversinallsocialclassestoexchangesmalltokensofaffectionorhandwrittennotes.Bytheendofthecentury,printedcardsbegantoreplacewrittenlettersduetoimprovementsinprintingtechnology.Ready-madecardswereaneasywayforpeopletoexpresstheiremotionsinatimewhendirectexpressionofone'sfeelingswasdiscouraged.CheaperpostageratesalsocontributedtoanincreaseinthepopularityofsendingValentine'sDaygreetings.Americansprobablybeganexchanginghand-madevalentinesintheearly1700s.Inthe1840s,EstherA.Howlandbegantosellthefirstmass-producedvalentinesinAmerica.AccordingtotheGreetingCardAssociation,anestimatedonebillionvalentinecardsaresenteachyear,makingValentine'sDaythesecondlargestcard-sendingholidayoftheyear.(Anestimated2.6billioncardsaresentforChristmas.)Approximately85percentofallvalentinesarepurchasedbywome