Valentine's Day is more than 16 centuries old, however, the holidays of love originated in the Ancient World. For example, the Romans had a festival of eroticism, which they celebrated in mid-February, and it was dedicated to the goddess of love Juno Februata.
The story of Valentine's Day itself begins in 269. At that time, the emperor Claudius II was the ruler of the Roman Empire, and the country itself was in endless wars and experienced an acute shortage of soldiers. The emperor decided that the marriage was to blame, since a married legionnaire thinks more about his family and how to feed it, than about the glory of his state. And then Claudius issued a decree forbidding soldiers to marry. However, a ban cannot be imposed on love, and, fortunately for the legionnaires and their chosen ones, a priest was found who, not fearing the emperor's anger, began to secretly carry out weddings of soldiers with their beloved. This priest's name was Valentine, and he was from the city of Terni. As soon as this news reached Claudius, he immediately sentenced Valentine to death. The fact that Valentine himself was in love also adds a special drama to the situation. Sitting in prison, he wrote his beloved a farewell letter, where he confessed his love to her, but the girl was able to read it only after the execution had taken place.
Over time, Valentine was ranked among the Christian martyrs who suffered for the faith, and in 496, Pope Gelasius I proclaimed February 14 as Valentine's Day, which is currently celebrated around the world.
