Saint Valentine's Day, commonly known as
Valentine's Day, or the
Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14 each year. Today Valentine's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world, mostly in the
West, although it remains a working day in all of them.
St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named
Valentinus. The most popular
martyrology associated with Saint Valentine was that he was imprisoned for performing
weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry, and for ministering to Christians, who were
persecuted under the Roman Empire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius. Centuries later an embellishment was added: before his execution he wrote "from your Valentine" as a farewell to her. Today, Saint Valentine's Day is an official
feast day in the
Anglican Communion, as well as in the
Lutheran Church. The
Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeit on
July 6th and
July 30th, the former date in honor of the Roman
presbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna.
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