Today on this Valentine’s Day, the average person will spend $126 on their loved one, which amounts to about $17 billion this year in the United States. An estimated 4 million Americans will propose to their mate. Like it or not, today is a big deal! As you give that Valentine to your loved one, did you know that this holiday has a religious history?
The origin of Valentine’s Day is mysterious. Valentine’s Day comes from a figure in Christian history but the exact identity of St. Valentine is difficult to prove. Tradition holds Valentine was a priest in Rome, who aided and sheltered Christians in persecution under Claudius II. In addition, he married Christian couples under the newly found faith of Christianity. Valentine was caught, and sent to Rome to renounce his faith. Valentine was be beaten with clubs and was be beheaded. He was executed on February 14, sometime around year 270.
One tradition holds that Valentine himself sent the first “Valentine” card:
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