It is thought that Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno, the Queen of Roman Gods and Goddesses.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On February 14th the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar. They would then be partners for the duration of the festival. Sometimes the union of the children lasted an entire year. Often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel, as he was known, was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his army. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loved ones. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Saint Valentine was a priest in the days of Claudius II and aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples. Saint Valentine was apprehended, dragged before the Prefect of Rome and condemned to a horrible death. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th of February, in the year 270.

The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavored to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. Valentine's Day was chosen for the celebration of this new feast. It seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines arose in this way.

Return to Home Page