St. Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day originated as a day to celebrate Christian martyrs (martyrs are people who die for a religion, principle or cause). It was a religious celebration honoring two people named Valentine: Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. On February 14th Catholics would have a feast in honor of the Valentines. In 1969, Saint Valentine's Day was removed from the Roman Catholic Calendar of Saints.
The original Valentine's Day was not a romantic holiday. The romantic Valentine's Day celebrates a priest named Valentine. The Roman Emperor Claudis II forbid marriage. The priest Valentine would secretly marry couples going against the Emperor's law. Priest Valentine was put in jail for marrying couples. He was seen as the martyr of love.
Now, Valentine's Day is the celebration of love and romantic relationships. It is still celebrated on February 14th every year. In the United States of American, couples give each other presents, take special vacations or have meals to celebrate on Valentine's Day. Children have parties in school and make Valentines (special cards made for Valentine's Day that usually have rhymes or poems about love). Everyone makes heart-shaped cookies and eats lots of chocolate. Common decorations for Valentine's Day are hearts, flowers, Cupid, chocolates and lots of red, pink and white.
