All about Valentine's Day, Saint Valentine

Saint Valentine or Valentine of Rome was a kind-hearted priest and said to have lived during 3rd century. He was much popular in Romans and they often gathered of listen to his sermonizes.  During this time, Rome was ruled by a very nasty and unkind emperor Claudius II or Claudius the Goth. Since Rome was at the time involved in many bloody and unpopular war campaigns, so the emperor wanted to have a huge military and found it difficult to recruit the male populace into joining his military leagues. Believing this to be because Roman men were averse to leaving their loved ones or their families, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements within the City of Rome. Many a young Romans left to wars in grief departing their loved ones. This led to several deaths in the rue of parting their cherished ones.
Saint Valentine felt very sad on this nasty law of the emperor and opposed the cruel law. He started performing marriages secretly and this news reached the emperor. When the news about the secret marriages conducted by priest reached Claudius he tried to convert him to his paganism. In a desolate endeavour, Saint Valentine strived to commute Claudius to Christianity. When his assay failed he lost the last chance of his survival and was dictated to be assassinated. According to tradition, while Valentine waited in prison for his execution, he corresponded with those under his care by sending letters and love notes to his worshippers. It is also believed that while sentenced in the jail, the priest fell in love with a young woman who visited him during his stay in the jail. According the some resources the young woman was the jailor’s daughter. Before he was killed by the orders of Claudius, he supposedly sent his dear epistle signed "from your Valentine." He was assassinated on 14th Feb.269 A. D. at Rome and Concealed on the famous Flaminian Way.
Some More perceptions.
Some unclear sources states that there were three martyrs named as valentine in the mythological details under the date 14th Feb. one of the three is believed to have spent his life in Rome. While the other was a bishop of the modern Terni.
Both the priests are said to have lived during the 3rd century and were concealed on the Flaminian Way. The third saint valentine has been out of historical details, his lifelong details are not known, except that he died in Africa.
History of 14th Feb or the Modern Valentine Day.
There are numerous hypotheses regarding the beginning of Valentine's Day jubilations. According to mythological or written scripts the origin of Valentine’s Day link from ancient Roman carnival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15. For the major past the ceremony was consecrated to the Pagan god Lupercus by the Romans. As in the details the Lupercalia carnival consisted of a tradition, in which a man has to draw out a slip containing the name of a woman which will remain as the sexual buddy for the entire year.  On the calendar used back in those days, February came later than it does today, so Lupercalia was a pagan spring celebration.
Pope Gelasius I was not felicitous with the ritual. So he decided to modify the system. In the new system both men and women would take out the names of saints whom they would then imitate for the complete year. The commute was not received by the some youths. The sponsor of the banquet was also altered to Valentine in 496 A D, but For Roman men, the day continued to be an event to seek the affections of women, and it became a tradition to give out handwritten messages of veneration that included Valentine's (loved one) name.
There was also a conformist belief in Europe during the medieval period that birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus the day was dedicated to love, the first instance of Valentine’s Day goes back to the 15th century when Charles, duke of Orleans, sent the first real Valentine card to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London but according to some believers Saint Valentine himself sent the first Valentine day greeting to the Jailor’s daughter whom he loved In 1537, King Henry the Eighth, as it is accounted, acknowledged February 14th as St. Valentine’s Day.
Cupid: the symbol of Valentine’s Day.
One more important thing associated with Valentine’s Day is cupid. In Greek mythology he is also known by his name Eros, Romans borrowed it from Greek mythology and named cupid, the god of life after death. His mother was Aphrodite (also called as Cytherea) the goddess of love and beauty. He is often depicted as a child with wings and a bow and arrow in his hand. It is called that when a person gets hurt with his arrows, that person falls in love.
Useful Links.
1. Catholic encyclopedia:   http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/
2. Catholic forum:   http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintv06.htm
3. Saint Valentine:   http://www.intellmktg.com/im/inlove/val_hist.htm
4. History channel:   http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/
5. Valentine day history:   http://va.essortment.com/valentinesdayh_rygc.htm

Related topics.
1.  Valentine day gifts.
2.  Valentine day greetins.
3.  Valentine day quotes.
4.  Valentine day letters.