Saint Valentine, a name mostly unheard of, and yet people celebrate him every year. This specific day fills people of the world’s hearts with love, pink and red hearts, and expensive dinner dates, but the question still remains, why? The different versions of the legends give reason to why we choose to celebrate this day with love.

It all began during the third century in Rome under Emperor Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II believed that fighting triumphed any love two could share and created a law forbidding young men under his rule to marry. St. Valentine,  thought of this newly instated law as preposterous, not believing the law should infringe on a feeling such as love. He went behind the emperor’s back and continued to officiate marriages for young lovers in secret. He allowed these lovers a chance to come together as one under God, a true cupid. Though, upon discovery of his defiance, the emperor immediately executed the poor sweetheart of a bloke. This man of love should live on in all of the people’s hearts, for he paraded love when the love could not exist.

Though this old legend would more than likely not reach the realm of truth, it still gives a cute spin on the holiday. People should celebrate Valentine’s day with a new mindset, to express gratefulness for the people one loves and rejoice in the fact that he/she can celebrate their love.

The Romans present a drastically different version of the day of love. They held a feast on February 13-15 called Lupercalia. This feast began with men slaying a goat and a dog, then whipping women with the hides of those animals. However, the women did not regard this ritual as degrading in any way. They believed the whipping would make them fertile. The feast continued with a matchmaking lottery in which men drew the names of women and paired up with them in a couple-like way for the remainder of the feast.

The two different stories add to the way people celebrate Valentine’s day now, with affection, hopefully not whipping, and love.