This is the second part of my series. If you missed the first one on Torture Devices, here it is. Feedback needed!

---

For years, Feburary has been associated with a feeling of romance, but the origin of this romantic feeling in this particular month of the year is still very hazy. There are many theories suggesting this came from a Catholic priest named Saint Valentine. This took place during the time of the Roman empire when the emperor decided men made better soldiers when they did not have families. The roman emperor banned marriage for all young men. Saint Valentine felt empathy for those young men and held secret marriages despite laws. This is how the feeling of love became associated with Valentine. Unfortunately, Saint Valentine was murdered by soldiers when he was discovered. Here is a picture of Saint Valentine:

---

While Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of Feburary, probably around the time of Saint Valentine's death or funeral, anthor theory suggests that Valentine's Day was an excuse for Christians to "Christianize" the Pagan Festival celebration. It is also associated with romance because it was said that all of Roman's bachelors placed their name in a clay urn. One name was drawn out at the end of the celebration and that man would be paired with the "finest" woman in the city. The match would often lead to marriage. This occurred somewhere around 250 A.D.

---

In the 5th Century, Pope Gelasius announced that Feburary 14 was to be a day of romance. He named it after the martyred Saint Valentine (description above). This was accepted in France because it was believed that Feburary 14 was the first day of birds' mating season. This supported the Valentine's Day celebration. Soon, written Valentine greetings begun popping up around 1400 A.D. These greetings usually had a compliment and a small piece of sweet candy as a gift. This had led to the modern day practice of celebration.

---

The ancient Greek god, Cupid, was never officially associated with Valentine's Day. Cupid sort of edged in as being part of this holiday. Being the god of love and affection and the son of Venus, goddess of marriage and fertility was no surprise. Here is a picture of Eros (Greek name for Cupid) :

Sorry it's a little inappropriate. This was the cleanest one I could find.

---

Oh yeah, Happy Valentine's Day

---

Sources:
History.com
Wikipedia.com(Cupid)
[a=http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine's_Day]Wikipedia.com(Origin)[/a]