The History of St. Valentine s Day

The History of St. Valentine s Day Name: For centuries, St. Valentine s Day has been celebrated in several countries all over the world in a variety of ways. But why do we celebrate this day of love? Who was St. Valentine? Why do we celebrate on February 14? The true history of St. Valentine is unclear, and the earliest reliable information we have comes from the Catholic Encyclopedia. In 270 A.D. the Roman Empire still ruled Europe. The Empire outlawed the growing Christian religion and all things associated with it, including the Christian marriage. The emperor, Claudius II also outlawed marriage for his soldiers, thinking that a married man didn t make as good of a soldier as a single man. During this time, a Christian priest named Valentine lived near Rome and secretly performed many outlawed marriages. Eventually, he was found out by Claudius II and was executed for his religion and for performing the marriages. This martyrdom made him a Saint, and he is celebrated in the Catholic Church on February 14. The first written association with St. Valentine s Day and love is thought to be Geoffrey Chaucer s poems published in 1382. In the poem he speaks of a tradition of writing valentines to your sweetheart. (Although it is not known if the tradition actually existed or was invented by Chaucer). Other written accounts of St. Valentine s Day being associated with love include Shakespeare s Hamlet and writings by John Donne. Most valentines were hand written until around 1850 when they began to be mass produced in factories. In the 1950 s the practice of sending valentines was extended to giving gifts such as flowers and chocolates. In modern times, the holiday is increasingly commercialized. According to the U.S. Greeting Card Association, over 190 million valentines are sent each year in the U.S.

The History of St. Valentine s Day Name: 1. Who is Claudius II? 2. What did St. Valentine do to get himself in trouble? 3. What is a martyr? 4. Name one author who wrote about the tradition of Valentine s Day. 5. When did mass produced Valentine s Day cards begin to be produced? 6. How has celebrating St. Valentine s Day changed over the years?

Cause and Effect Activity The cause is WHY something happens. The effect is WHAT happens because of another event. Fill in the cause and effect chart using the events from the reading. CAUSE EFFECT St. Valentine performs marriages in secret. Claudius II finds out about the secret marriages. Writers begin writing about sending valentines to sweethearts.

Answer Key: Questions: 1. Claudius II was the emperor of Rome in the third century. 2. St. Valentine was found to be marrying people in secret. 3. A martyr is a person who is killed for his or her religious beliefs. 4. One of the following: Chaucer, Shakespeare, Donne 5. Mass produced cards began to appear in 1850. 6. Valentine s Day traditions have changed from hand written valentines to mass produced greeting cards with candy and flowers given as gifts. Cause and Effect activity: 1. (Cause) Claudius II outlaws marriage for soldiers and Christians. 2. (Effect) St. Valentine is imprisoned and eventually killed. 3. (Effect) People began sending valentines to sweethearts.

Thank you for downloading this great Valentine s Day freebie!!! I hope you and your students really enjoy this nonfiction reading activity. The history on Valentine s Day is murky. I took information from several different sources and checked dates and facts. Since most of this is legend it is difficult to report with 100% accuracy. The clip art used in this download is from: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thedabblingspeechie This product is copyrighted by Charlee Allen, 2012, All rights reserved. Reproduction for single classroom use only. Other Products you may like from Charlee Allen: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/charlee- Allen http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/product/february- Writing-Prompts-for-Intermediate-Grades http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/product/january- Holiday-Nonfiction-Readings