When was the first Valentine held? From where the word derived? And how did it come about? Where was it held?
91368
History\n[edit]\n\nFebruary fertility festivals\n\nThe association of the middle of February with love and fertility dates to ancient times. In the calendar of Ancient Athens, the period between mid January and mid February was the month of Gamelion, which was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.\n\nIn Ancient Rome, the day of February 15 was Lupercalia, the festival of Lupercus, the god of fertility, who was represented by two half-naked young men, dressed in goat skins. As part of the purification ritual, the priests of Lupercus would sacrifice goats to the god, and after drinking wine, they chose two young men to run through the streets of Rome holding pieces of the goat skin above their heads, striking anyone they met with the goat hide. Young women especially would come forth voluntarily for the occasion, in the belief that being so touched would render them fruitful and bring easy childbirth.\n\nAccording to the Catholic Encyclopedia (1908), at least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs and all quite obscure, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of February 14:\n\n    * a priest in Rome who suffered martyrdom in the second half of the 3rd century and was buried on the Via Flaminia.\n    * a bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) also suffered martyrdom in the second half of the 3rd century and was also buried on the Via Flaminia, but in a different location than the priest.\n    * a martyr in North Africa, about whom little else is known.\n\nThe connection between St. Valentine and romantic love is not mentioned in any early histories and is regarded by secular historians as purely a matter of legend (see below). The feast of St. Valentine was first declared to be on February 14 by Pope Gelasius I in 496. There is a widespread legend that he created the day to counter the practice held on Lupercalia of young men and women pairing off as lovers by drawing their names out of an urn, but this practice is not attested in any sources from that era.\n\nIn the 19th century, relics of St. Valentine were donated by Pope Gregory XVI to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, which has become a popular place of pilgrimage on February 14.\n\nIn 1969, as part of a larger effort to pare down the number of saint days of purely legendary origin, the Church removed St. Valentine's Day as an official holiday from its calendar
146365
Valentine's day is the one time of year that everyone can be openly affectionate.\nPeople who have absolutely no significant other can get quite depressed when a day comes around that's solely revolved around love and affection.\nNatural reaction.
6952
You may have read the gossip sweeping the Internet on the origin of the word picnic. Some claim that picnic is derived from lynching parties of blacks. This is incorrect.\n\nInstead, the origin on the word picnic is French (piquenique) and was invented long before the atrocities towards blacks took place in America. This French word - piquenique - signifies an outing with food - similar to the word's meaning in English. At these piqueniques, the attendees would all bring food to the occasion, similar to what we call potlucks today. The outdoor concept of a picnic did not originate until the 19th century.\n\nSo, how did this word originate? We are unsure what the word pique actually means. There are two options: leisurely eating (picking) or a delicacy of food. Nique was selected since it rhymed with Pique.\n\nHistorians have found this French word in references outside of the French language as early as 1748 and into English by around 1800.
147240
The origins of the word "religion" have been debated for centuries. Some explanations for the origin of the word are:\n\n    * re-reading--from Latin re (again) + legio (read), referring to the repetition of scripture.\n    * treating carefully--from Latin relegere (Cicero's interpretation) 'to go over again' or to carefully ponder.\n    * re-connection to the divine--from Latin re (again) + ligare (to connect, as in English ligament). This interpretation is favoured by modern scholars such as Tom Harpur, but probably originated with St. Augustine.\n    * to bind or return to bondage--an alternate interpretation of the "reconnection" etymology, possibly also originating with Augustine but emphasising a sense of servitude to God. However, the bondage interpretation, while popular with critics of religion, is often considered imprecise and possibly offensive in many modern religious contexts.\n    * concerning a gathering--from Latin ablative res (with regard to) + legere (to gather). More emphatically, religion concerns an organization.\n\nDespite the variety of possible etymologies, what is clear about the word "religion" is that its religious connotations (in the sense of denoting gods, morality, afterlife, etc.) were not a part of the term's Latin precursors — suggesting that today's common understanding of such terms as religion, religious, and religions may be peculiarly modern, notably Euro-based words and concepts.
165433
Valentines originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity.  He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries.  Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine".
95380
I think we celebrate Valentine's day because if you didn't show your love for that one special person every other day of the year, then February 14th is the day to do it.  Showing you love or like somebody, to me, is the best thing to get or give as a gift because at least you know that somebody is thinking about you.
145392
Check out www.wikipedia.org.  Search for Valentines Day.  It give you a big long history and details from how it is celebrated around the world.  I would put it here, but it is much too long.
95749
I always felt like it's one of those man made "holidays" (some people actually consider it a holiday) it makes people spend their money on presents, reastaurants, flowers, balloons, or whatever so who truly benefits from valentines day?. Love should be express on a daily basis, every day should be as special .
83110
saint valentine was a roman martyred for not giving up christianity and was killed on february 14th 269 A.D so i like to think it baecame a day of loved because he was willing to die for something he loved which to me is a big part of what love is supposed to be about.
98740
St. Valentine's Day falls on February 14, and is the traditional day on which lovers in certain cultures let each other know about their love, commonly by sending Valentine's cards, which are often anonymous. The history of Valentine's day can be traced back to a Catholic Church feast day, in honor of Saint Valentine. The day's associations with romantic love arrived after the High Middle Ages, during which the concept of romantic love was formulated.\n\nThe day is now most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines." Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes has largely given way to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards. The Greeting Card Association estimates that, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association also estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.
109931
well..here it is..\n\nEveryone thinks they know the origin of Valentine's Day. According to the most commonly accepted story, Emperor Claudius of Rome issued a decree forbidding marriage in the year 271. Roman generals had found that married men did not make very good soldiers, because they wanted to return as quickly as possible to their wives and children-and they didn't want to leave them to fight the emperor's battles in the first place. So Claudius issued his edict that there should be no more marriages, and all single men should report for duty.\n \nA priest named Valentine deemed such a decree an abomination, and he secretly continued to marry young lovers. When Claudius learned of this extreme act of disobedience to his imperial command, he ordered the priest dragged off to prison and had him executed on February 14.\n \nFather Valentine, the friend of sweethearts, became a martyr to love and the sanctity of marriage, and when the Church gained power in the Roman Empire, the Holy See was quick to make him a saint.\n \nThe early Church fathers were well aware of the popularity of a vast number of heathen gods and goddesses, as well as the dates of observation of pagan festivals, so they set about replacing as many of the entities and the holidays as possible with ecclesiastical saints and feast days. Mid-February had an ancient history of being devoted to acts of love of a far more passionate and lusty nature than the Church wished to bless, and the bishops moved as speedily as possible to claim the days of February 14 through 17 as belonging to Saint Valentine, the courageous martyr to the ties that bound couples in Christian love.
151795
Valentines Day is Not a National holiday.  Banks, governement offices, etc do not close.  \n\nThe holiday is for the purpose of selling things.\n\nCheck these two sites for more info.
154023
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day#History_of_Valentine.27s_Day
110770
wrong\n\nEvery February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.\n\nOne legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.\n\nOther stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.  \n  \n According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
170553
Valentine's Day is a celebration of love associated with St. valentine.  It a holiday now trivialized by cards, chocolates, and gifts.  The original message is still carried over as union of two people.  As for your personal views, the commecilization of the holiday puts soo much emphasis on being with someone.  No you shouldn't change your attitude to mix in with the common view some people share.
913718
As far as I know, the slang word goes right back to the Middle Ages, when a "burd" was a poetic name for a "lady". You can still read old ballads about "Burd Ellen".\n\nThe name was early on confused with the word "bride" as well as "bird" and has become one of the most common British slang terms.
343115
During the Roman Empire, St. Valentine (one of the first Catholic saints) would marry couples under the Christian rites (forbidden at that time, reason for which he was martirized). That's why he's considered the saint associated with love. Feb. 14 is the date associated to him by the R.C.C.