TIL How Valentines Truly started

warrensteem (65)in #til • 8 years ago

Valentines is celebrated around the world.

People share chocolates, flowers and love letters on the 14th of February with their loved ones, but how did this strange tradition come to be?

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There are many different stories about the famous saint Valentine, but the most famous one goes something like this

Around the Third Century AD, Marriage was banned. The reason behind this is that the emperor at the time - Emperor Claudius II - felt that a married man made a man weak and was not his strongest therefor not great for their army.

Here is where Valentine comes in, he felt that idea was bs and began to marry couples in secret. As always, the the emperor found out about this and threw Valentine into jail and he was to be executed.

During his time in jail he fell in love with the jailers' daughter, and on his day of execution (14th of February) he sent her a hand written letter explaining of his love for her. He titled this letter "From your Valentine"