Saint
Valentine's Day, also known as Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is
a holiday observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in
many countries around the world, although it is not a holiday in most of them.St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical
celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. Several martyrdom stories
were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14, and
added to later martyrologies. A
popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome
states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to
marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman
Empire. According to legend,
during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An
embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a
letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an
official feast day in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Lutheran Church. The Eastern
Orthodox Church also celebrates
Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on July
6 and July 30, the former date in honor of
the Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date
in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna
(modern Terni). In Brazil, the Dia de São Valentim is recognized on June 12.The day was first associated
with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition
of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it
evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by
presenting flowers, offering confectionery,
and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").
Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the
winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to
mass-produced greeting cards.