On the 14th of February; Boys, you better be ready with the cards and flowers; Ladies, you know you have to go to the card store and get them in the mail; Kids, you have to buy that package of Valentines for the other students (don't forget to pick the best one for that little cutie you're afraid to talk to). We all know this happens every year, But WHY? Read on, and you'll know. Valentine's day as we know it began in Rome. February 14th was a holiday to honor Juno the Queen of all Roman Gods and Goddesses, she was also the Roman Goddess of Marriage. On the next day, the Feast of Lupercalia began. On the eve of the festival, young roman women would have to put their names in a box on slips of paper. The young men would draw the names and the person they drew would be their 'companion' for the remainder of the festival. Sometimes, these companions would end up marrying. But where does St. Valentine come in? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, one from Rome, one from Tirni (some scholars believe they were one in the same) and one who very little is known about who was killed in Africa on a mission. All three were considered to be martyred.

Here is the legend. Emperor Claudius II decided that young men who were unmarried made better soldiers since they had no ties at home. Since the roman empire was struggling, he decided to outlaw marriage and thereby increase his pool of soldiers. Valentine did not agree with this decree and continued to marry young romans in secret.

When he was discovered, he was thrown in jail for the crime, and he was ordered to be put to death. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with a woman, possibly the jailors daughter, who visited him during his wait for his execution. Before the execution, legend has it, that he wrote her a letter and signed it "From Your Valentine"

Based on this story, it's no wonder that Valentine became a symbol for love and became one of the more popular saints. In death, Valentine became the spiritual overseer of the roman festival, and young romans exchanged cards with their loves in his honor. The greeting cards acquired St. Valentine's name. He later became a patron saint. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius officially made February 14th, St. Valentine's Day. By the middle ages, Saint Valentine was one of the most popular saints.

As an aside, in the middle ages, seizures were considered a form of demonic possessions or curses. People would make pilgrimages to the priory of St. Valentine near the border of Germany and France for healing. Thus St. Valentine is the patron saint of epilepsy.

As christianity spread, so did it's saints, their days, and the traditions associated with them. The exchange of cards between lovebirds, or potential lovebirds, is no exception. Valentine's Day is celebrated all over the world, by christians and non-christians alike, which is fitting since the origin of the holiday is non-christian, and became christian in nature.

One of the oldest examples of a Valentine's Day card is now kept at the British Museum. It was sent by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London in the year 1415.

Commercial greeting cards were first introduced in the 1800's.

Esther Howland is given credit for creating the first American Valentine's Day cards. Her father ran a stationary store in Worcester, Mass., and imported cards from Europe. Around 1830, Miss Howland decided to make her own cards and began importing all sorts of materials to make them with from gold leaf, to lace, the finest papers, and other decorative supplies. She pressed her brothers into service making the cards as well as several employees. Miss Howland became one of America's first successful business women creating and selling these cards. Her sales cleared $100,000 per year which was a staggering sum of money for the 1830's (approximately $2.5 million today). One of her cards, shown at left, originally sold for $1, the same as paying around 23 bucks today.

Today, Loveland Colorado's post office has it's busiest days just before Valentine's Day (gotta get that postmark on the envelope), and Valentine's Day card sales are second only to Christmas with an estimated 1 billion cards being exchanged every year.

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week.This is where the phrase 'to wear your heart on your sleeve' comes from.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the gift, it means they will marry. (sure is a lot cheaper than a diamond)

People used to believe that if a woman saw a goldfinch flying on Valentine's Day, that she'd marry a millionaire, if she saw a robin, she'd marry a sailor, and if she spied a sparrow, she'd marry a poor man, but she'd be happy for life.

Twist the stem of an apple while reciting the names of some potential loves. When the stem breaks, the name you just said is "The One". Another variation of this is to twist the stem once for each letter of the alphabet, when it breaks, that is the initial of the person you will marry.

If you blow the seeds off of a dandelion, count the number of seeds that didn't blow away, that's the number of children you'll have.

Cupid is the son of Venus, and is known for being mischievous in Roman mythology.

Turtle Doves and Love Birds were thought to choose their mates on Valentine's Day. Pigeons and Doves (as well as a few other species of bird) mate for life.