San Valentin

For other uses, see Valentine and Valentine's Day (disambiguation).
"Valentines" redirects here. For the German/Italian wine grape also known as Valentines, see Valentines (grape).
SaintValentine's Day, commonly known as Valentine's Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine,[4] is observed on February 14 each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although itremains a working day in most of them.
St. Valentine's Day began as a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus. The most popularmartyrology associatedwith 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 RomanEmpire; during his imprisonment, he is said to have healed the daughter of his jailer Asterius. Legend states that 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.[8] TheEastern Orthodox Church also celebrates Saint Valentine's Day, albeiton July 6th and July 30th, the former date in honor of the Romanpresbyter Saint Valentine, and the latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).
The daywas first associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into anoccasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").Valentine's Day symbols thatare used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards