February... the month of love. Valentines gifts for boyfriends, girlfriends, hubbies and wives are exchanged. Sweets, cards, flowers, chocolates and other lovely Valentines presents are selling everywhere. Restaurants are filled with couples eager to celebrate their relationship and the joy of their togetherness through tasty cuisine. By and large, there aren't that many Valentines scrooges; most folks are keen on making the most of this day of love.
Time and time again, the name "St. Valentine" crops up during this season of romance. But just who is this mysterious Mr. Valentine? And why on earth is this month linked so strongly with love, Valentines Day presents, cards and so on? Read on and all will become as clear as mud...
St Valentine's Story
Hello, my name is Valentine. I lived in Rome a long, long time ago in the third century. Rome was governed by the mighty ruler, Emperor Claudius. I wasn't very keen on him, and nor was anyone else for that matter.
At that time, Claudius wanted all men to join the army, but many men didn't want to fight in wars. They had wives and families to care for, so as you might expect, hardly
any men signed up. As a result, this made Claudius livid with a capital L.
So he had a brain wave. "Surely if men weren't married, then they won't mind joining the army. MUHAHAHA!" And BOOM. Claudius banished marriage ceremonies. Young folks thought this new law was utterly ridiculous. They weren't the only ones - I thought it was absurd and downright cruel. Imagine not being able to marry the love of your life? Why the hell would I, or anyone else in their right mind, want to support this heartless new law?
Pssssst! Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite hobbies was to marry couples. I was a revolutionary back in the day: even after Emperor Claudius banned marriages, I continued to perform them, in secret, of course. It was so much fun. It was only the bride and groom, and myself in the room. I used to light candles and we'd whisper the vows of the ceremony whilst keeping our ears peeled for the steps of soldiers.
One night, we heard footsteps. Fortunately, the couple I was marrying got away in the nick of time. But I was caught. Had I been a lot younger and a little more light-footed, I might've been able to escape. Alas, I was thrown in jail and my sentence was death.
It was hard to stay cheerful, but even in such a bad situation, good things happened. Loads of young couples came to visit me in my cell. Some even threw notes and flowers up to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believe in that thing called love.
It just so happened that one of these youngsters who visited me was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit me in the cell. She and I would talk for hours on end, which helped brighten me up a bit. She admired the fact I'd rebelled against the Emperor's callous law by continuing to perform secret marriages.
On the day I died, February 14th, 269 A.D., I left my friend a note, thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. I signed it: "Love from your Valentine."
And, hey presto, that note started the tradition of exchanging love messages and Valentines gifts for him and her on February 14th. People across the world remember this day of love, but most importantly, they celebrate it because of love and friendship.
So when you swap Valentine's gifts and cards, or go out for that romantic meal on February 14th, remember how the evil Emperor Claudius attempted to stand in the way of love. And now, you can laugh because love hasn't - and will never - be beaten!
Article Source
Author: SusieDavids
About the Author
Make Valentine's Day truly special by considering personalised Valentines gifts for him and her. GoneDigging offer the very best in the way of Valentines presents, from engraved jewellery and romantic personalised posters to theatre & restaurant trips.
No comments:
Post a Comment