Be my Valentine!

Every February 14 we celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving flowers, sweets and cards to the people that we love. We do this in honour of Saint Valentine.


Saint Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome in the 3rd Century. The emperor at that time was Claudius II. People called him Claudius the Cruel. He wanted brave soldiers for his army, and he decided to prohibit marriage for young men because he thought that single soldiers were better soldiers than married soldiers.


Valentine considered this decree was not fair, and he married young couples in secret. When the emperor found out Valentine’s actions he imprisoned him and condemned him to death.


In prison, Valentine fell in love with his jailor’s daughter. Before they killed him he sent her the first Valentine card in history, when he wrote to this lady a love letter and he signed it ‘Your Valentine,’ words that people still use today.


Typical symbols of Valentine’s Day are red roses, Valentine cards, and Cupid. Cupid (Latin Cupido, meaning desire). In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love. Cupid often goes around wounding people with his arrows, causing them to fall in love.


Have you got a special Valentine? Does he/she know you are in love with him/her? Come on! Tell him/her about your feelings!