Do you know something about

 St. Valentine's Story?

Valentine was a priest that lived in Rome during the 3^rd century. That was long, long ago! At that time, Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius.

Claudius wanted to have a big army. But many men did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their families. This made Claudius furious. He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not to allow any more marriages.

So Valentine kept on performing marriage ceremonies secretly. One night, they heard footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple he was marrying escaped in time. He was caught and thrown in jail and his punishment was death.

Do you know what happened? Many young people came to the jail to visit him. They threw flowers and notes up to his window. They wanted him to know that they, too, believed in love.

One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father allowed her to visit him in the cell. On the day he was to die, he left his friend a little note thanking her for her friendship. He signed it, "Love from your Valentine."

Maybe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on Valentine's Day. It was written on the day he died, February 14, 269 A.D.

Now, every year on this day, people remember the story. But most importantly, they think about love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they laugh, because they know that love can't be beaten!

Americans use Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to tell about love, friendship. It´s a time for giving and caring. Children usually exchange cards at school. 

REMEMBER!

Write a letter to a friend, to a special person, to your  family, to your teachers,...

FROM YOUR TEACHER