The History of

St. Valentine’s
Day

Copyright 2012, by Charlee Allen Eduactional Resources

 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.

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