Friday, February 7, 2014

St. Valentine’s Day legends plus buttons

How did Valentine become the patron saint of lovers?
    According to one legend, in third-century Rome young men did not want to enlist in the army to fight the emperor’s wars. Claudius II ordered young men not to marry, believing if they did not have wives they would be more willing to leave Rome for the battlefield. Moved by compassion for the young men and their sweethearts, Valentine the priest married them secretly.
 
Why do valentine cards end “From Your Valentine”?
     Another legend claims that while Valentine the priest was imprisoned he met the blind daughter of his jailer. He offered prayers for her healing, and the girl’s sight was restored. A friendship was forged. On the night of his death he wrote the girl a farewell message and signed it “From your Valentine”
 
How did cupid come to be associated with St. Valentine’s Day Cards?
    Cupid, represented by a cherub armed with arrows dipped in a love potion, is a figure of Roman mythology. According to those legends, Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty.
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Happy Valentine's Day
 

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