The first known association of Valentine’s Day with romantic love is in 1382’s “Parlement of Foules” by Geoffrey Chaucer, but the earliest origins of the holiday can be found hundreds of years earlier. The date was likely named in honor of a priest who was clubbed, stoned and then beheaded in the 3rd century for marrying young couples in contravention of Claudius II’s edict forbidding marriage. Hardly the sort of cheery story one might expect for the origin of a holiday devoted to romance and love!
Although we still celebrate it today, Saint Valentine was actually removed from the calendar of celebrated saints’ days in 1969 – perhaps due to the array of “unfortunate” events that have occurred on the date throughout history. Weddingpaperdivas wants us to be aware of the “darker” side of the holiday, offering their list of the 14 most unsavory events in the history of Valentine’s Day. Continue reading…