History of St. Valentine's Day

People all over the nation participate in the tradition of exchanging gifts between husbands and wives, couples, and loved ones every February 14th. They do it in the name of St. Valentine. This day contains vestiges of ancient Roman traditions as well as Christian. Three saints named Valentine are today recognized by the Catholic Church, all of whom are seen as martyrs.
The legend of Valentine says that he was a priest who served in Rome in the third century AD. The emperor of Rome of the time, Claudius II believed that single men would serve as better soldiers for his army than men who were married and had families. Therefore, marriage was outlawed for young men, who would be Claudius’ strongest soldiers. Valentine, believing this to be a great injustice, chose to defy Claudius and decided to continue to perform marriage ceremonies for young couples in secret. When Valentine’s actions were exposed, Claudius had Valentine arrested. While Valentine was in jail, he fell in love with a young woman, believed to be his jailer’s daughter who had visited him during his confinement. Valentine, on the evening before his execution wrote a letter which became the very first “valentine” greeting, and signed it “from your Valentine.” This expression is still used today when lovers write to each other.



Vocabulary

tradition- (noun) handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc.
martyr- (noun) one who willing suffers rather than denounce their religious beliefs
outlawed- (verb) to make illegal or unlawful
defy- (verb) to resist boldy or openly
exposed- (verb)to make known or reveal
confinement- (noun) to shut or keep in; to enclose within bounds

Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary words

1. The king ________________ slavery in his country.

2. The prisoner was kept in ____________________.

3. Decorating a tree is an old Christmas _________________.

4. The student chose to ____________ the teacher's demands.

5. The girl _______________ her friend's big secret.

6. The man was a _____________ for not rejecting his unpopular beliefs.

Grammar Point
What did you do, in the reading above, to help you figure out unfamiliar words? Write a paragraph about what you do for Valentine's Day.