SAINT VALENTINE

Saint Valentine refers to one or more saints of ancient Rome. The feast of Saint Valentine was formerly celebrated on February 14th by the Catholic Church until the revised 1969 calendar. His birth date and birthplace are unknown. Valentine's name does not occur in the earliest list of Roman martyrs.

The name was a popular one in Late Antiquity, with its connotations of valens, "being strong". Several emperors and a pope bore the name. It may have been an attempt to supersede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia that was still being celebrated in fifth-century Rome,

on February 15.

Many of the current legends that characterise Saint Valentine were invented in the fourteenth century in England, notably by Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle, when the feast day of February 14th first became associated with romantic love.

Today the holiday is celebrated widely thoughout the world by lovers and friends. Brazil is an exception and celebrates the ``dia dos namorados`` on June 12th. In the United States and Canada it is common to give a box of chocolate to the people you love. In each US classroom, the children exchange cards with each other, professing their friendship.

At night it is a custom to take your significant other (wife or girlfriend) to a restaurant for a romantic meal.