The A.T. Stewart Consignment and Gift Shop

BY MELISSA JAEGER

Roses are red. Violets are blue. Let’s make Valentine’s Day, special for you! Who is this mysterious saint and why is Valentine’s Day February 14? Valentine was more than one man; in fact, a mashup of at least six men, three of whom were martyred. There was Valentine, an Italian priest who married young lovers, in defiance of Emperor Claudius’ decree (because he believed single men made better soldiers). He was beheaded. There was a bishop. Beheaded. My personal favorite is an imprisoned Valentine who sent the first “valentine greeting” after he fell in love with a young girl, possibly his jailor’s daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Beheaded.

Why February 14th? Some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated on this date to commemorate the anniversary of his death. Others say that celebrating St. Valentine’s feast day in February was an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia, the fertility festival. In France and England, during the Middle Ages, February 14

The A.T. Stewart Exchange

Consignment and Gift Shop has a Peanuts “Valentine Tree” just in time for the holiday. See page xx