The Story Behind Valentine's Day
This one seems to be the most popular belief:
Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. At that time, an emperor named Claudius ruled Rome. Claudius wanted to have a big army and he expected men to volunteer to join in. Many men did not want to fight in wars, as they did not want to leave their wives and families. Therefore not many men signed up. This made the emperor very angry. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. A Priest from Rome, Valentine continued to perform ceremonies secretly until he was caught. He was thrown in jail and told that his punishment was death. He had several people who visited his cell and one was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit the cell. Sometimes they would sit and talk for hours.
The story goes that on the day he was to die, Valentine left his friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty and signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
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