Valentine’s Day Hearts

As Valentine’s Day draws close, one may imagine Cupid aiming his arrow at unsuspecting suitors, red roses, heart-shaped boxes filled with chocolate candies, and, of course, the all-important Valentine’s Day card. Most people are unaware of how this holiday, celebrated on 14 February in many countries, came to be. Several stories are told. The first is a fable of a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned by the Roman Emperor Claudius II. The priest had disobeyed the emperor’s order that fo