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St. Valentine's Day Crafts and Gift IdeasSt. Valentine's Day is all about letting the people we love know that we love them. Children have fun making and exchanging Valentine's Day cards. Of course, making your own Valentine's Day crafts and gifts just adds to the spirit of this special day. If you want to use flowers in your decorations, by sure to check out how to send messages with flowers.
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St. Valentine's Day is the celebration of love
The Roman celebration continued for hundreds of years, until the Christians decided to replace it with a celebration of their own. Pope Gelasuis (AD 496) found a likely candidate in the life a of 3rd century Christian priest named Valentine. Valentine had defied Emperor Claudius II by marrying young couples in secret. The Romans, who were at war, had outlawed marriage in hopes that young men would be less attached to families and make better soldiers. Valentine's actions were discovered and he was condemned to death. Valentine was a Christian Bishop with a strong faith and a reputation for spiritual healing. His jailer Asterius, learned of his ability, and asked Valentine to help his blind daughter, Julia. Valentine did heal Julia, and both she and Asterius converted to Christianity. Valentine wrote a final note to the young woman, with whom he had fallen in love, and signed it ‘from your Valentine’. He was executed on Feb. 14, 270 AD and is buried at the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that Julia herself planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship. This man's story was exactly what Pope Gelasuis was looking for. He was Christian, a friend of young lovers, performed miracles, and his final act was to write a love letter before he died for his faith on February 14, the day before Lupercalia. Valentine became a Patron Saint, and young Romans celebrated the annual holiday by offering women they wanted to court, hand written greetings of affections. St. Valentine's Day spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. Today, it is a lovers' celebration more than a Christian holiday. Roses, the traditional flower of Valentine's Day, come from a Roman legend of a woman, named Rodanthe. She was pursued by many suitors who finally became so impassioned they broke down the doors of her house. This enraged the goddess Diana, who turned the woman into a flower and her suitors each into a thorn. Interesting Trivia
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February 15 was the Roman festival of Lupercalia, the coming of spring.
This celebration honored Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage,
and ensured the fertility of flocks, fields, and people. Legend has it
that available young women would put their names in a bowl. The young men
would draw the name of the woman who would be their partner until the
drawing next year. It's not clear, but if a young couple was not ‘available’
their names would not be put back into the draw the following year.
