Valentine was a priest in Rome at the time Christianity was a new <=
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ZH-CN'>religion. The Emperor at that time, Claudius II, ordered the Roman =
soldiers not to marry or become engaged. Claudius believed that as =
<=
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ZH-CN'>married men, his soldiers would want to stay home with their famili=
es <=
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ZH-CN'>rather than fight his wars. Valentine defied the Emperor’s de=
cree
and secretly married the young coupl=
es.
He was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and put to death. =
Valentine was beheaded on Febru=
ary
14th, the eve of the Roman holiday Lupercalia (牧神节). After his death, Valentine was named a <=
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ZH-CN'>saint. As Rome became more Christian, the priests moved the spring =
<=
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ZH-CN'>holiday from the 15th of February to the 14th ––
Valentine’s Day.