So what’s the real deal with Valentine’s Day, anyway? The holiday of love and romance that we have come to celebrate actually has roots in Roman history. St. Valentine was a Roman priest who performed marriages during a time when the marriage of young people was prohibited because it was believed that soldiers fought better if they were single. Valentine was caught and imprisoned for going against the command of the emperor. He died a martyr and is now remembered on his feast day of Feb. 14. So how did Valentine become associated with love? By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange tokens of their affection. By 1900, printed cards began to replace hand-written ones. Nowadays, an estimated one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year. This makes it the second-largest card-sending holiday, after Christmas. Saint Viator also rings in the holiday of love with a few fun activities.

“Here at Saint Viator, the selling of candy grams is a great way to build school spirit and celebrate the holiday,” said Mrs. JoAnne Francis, the director of student activities.

Students can send their friends a note and a sucker for Valentine’s Day.

“Overall, I think it is a fun way for friends to show how much they mean to each other,” said senior Jackie Rose.

“The candy grams are a great way to show how you feel,” said freshman Ritarose Battin.

The sophomore class council administers the sale and delivery of the candy grams to the different homerooms. So grab some chocolate, write a note to a friend and enjoy the spirit of the Valentine holiday.