Why Does Saint Valentine Have His Own Day?

The children's book in the Amazon links, below, tell the story of the Valentine legend. One of these books even related the story of Valentine to the story of a dad who has been unjustly imprisoned --- as many young men are in the U.S. today --- and as St. Valentine himself was.

**[Prison used to be a matter of rehabilitation. Now it seems that it's a matter of keeping poor young folks in line. There are no longer good, solid jobs for them --- except in the "prison industrial complex". Many are imprisoned for non-violent, victimless crimes. But, I digress. --- This is a topic for another Hub. ** Please also note, on my Hub about AFSCME and Governor Walker's Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, that Governor Walker's "budget repair bill" would eliminate the early release program for non-violent offenders. This program actually SAVES the state money. Eliminating this early release program would cost more. Yet, the governor insists this bill is about repairing the budget.]**

There were many Valentines who were martyred in the days of the Roman Empire. Valentine (Valentinus) was a popular name because it was related to "Valens" --- courage --- in Latin. (Like our word "valiant".)

Back then, you did have to have some serious courage to practice your religion if you were a Christian. Or, anything else not approved by the emperor.

One of these Valentines was executed on February 14, 269, by Emperor Claudius. He was a priest. May have even been a bishop, but we don't know for sure. This execution took place on the Via Flaminia, a road leading from Terni --- in Umbria --- to Rome. They executed him in the middle of the night in order to avoid a popular uprising, because he was --- and is now --- very much beloved by the people of Terni.

One legend claims that St. Valentine secretly performed the Sacrament of Matrimony when the emperor prohibited young men to marry. The emperor felt unattached young men would do better as soldiers.

St. Valentine is now the patron saint of Umbria.

Many other Valentines were also executed, as well. Christianity was illegal in the Roman Empire.

The legend says he dropped cards from the window of his prison cell. He would write, "From your Valentine," to the people who loved and missed him. There are also some stories about healings due to his intercession.

William Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, begins during the feast of the Lupercal. In Act 1, Scene 1, the working people are being chastised by two tributaries (kind of like cops, apparently) for being in the streets partying on a working day.

In Act 1, Scene 2, Caesar tells Mark Antony to touch Caesar's wife, Calpurnia, during the Lupercal race. According to tradition, a "barren" woman would become fertile from this touch.

Lupercal honors the wolf who raised Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. It's around the middle of February, from February 13th to 15th. In the same scene, a soothsayer tells Caesar to "Beware the ides of March." The Ides of March would be March 15th --- when Caesar was assassinated. Therefore, the play begins exactly one month before the assassination, on Lupercal.

Lupercal probably has something to do with protecting the flocks of sheep from wolves.

On the Feast of the Lupercal, a young man would pick a young lady's name from a bowl.

There are some websites and articles around that suggest that the Roman Catholic Church "stole" or "co-opted" the pagan holidays. I used to believe that myself. I was away from my Faith for many decades, as I say in my Profile on Hubpages.

I think that the Roman Catholic Church has always incorporated local beliefs and customs into the Gospel. I think it may have been a much more organic process.