Valentines Day is a day of love, romance, and of course, the market place.

Lovers
across the United States buy roses for their sweethearts. Marriage ceremonies are
popular and roses are a pricey gift on Valentines Day because of St. Valentines life and
death. VALENTINES DAY or Saint Valentines Day is celebrated on February 14 by
many people almost throughout the world these days.
In the West, it is a traditional day and a holiday, on which lovers express their
love for each other by exchanging cards, flowers, sweets and confectionary. Of late, the
day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of
Valentines.
The cause of Valentines Day started with a priest named Valentine who lived in
Rome during the third century. At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named
Claudius. Valentine didnt like Emperor Claudius II. Claudius wanted to have a big
army and he expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just did not want to fight in
wars. They did not want to leave their wives and families, hence, not many men signed
up. This made Claudius furious which led him to a crazy idea. He thought that if men
were not married, they would not mind joining the army. Claudius then decided not to
allow any more marriages.
Young people thought his new law was cruel and preposterous! Being a priest,
his job was to marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius II passed his law, Valentine
kept on performing marriage ceremonies secretly. Valentine would lead the couple
into a small candlelit room. They would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening
all the while for the steps of soldiers. His time was over when he was caught. Valentine
was

thrown

into

jail

and

told

that

his

punishment

was

death.

Thus, an average of fifty percent more I dos are exchanged on Valentines Day
compared to the other 364 days of the year. During the nineteenth century 1,600 more
wedding ceremonies were performed on Valentines Day. Out of all the other days of the
year,

Valentines

Day

is

the

most

popular

for

nuptials

because Saint

Valentine performed weddings. Valentines Day illustrates love and romance which we
wouldnt have without Valentine himself.

Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the
figure of the winged cupids. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely
given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

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