In the third century after [[Christ]], Valentine was the bishop of [[Terni (Italy)]]. He performed weddings for couples who were not allowed to get married. They may not have been allowed to get married because the [[parent]]s did not agree with the connection or because the [[wedding|bridegroom]] was a [[soldier]] or a [[slave]], so the marriage was forbidden. Valentine gave to the married pairs [[flower]]s from his [[garden]]. That's why flowers play a very important role on Valentine's Day. This did not please the [[emperor]]. On [[February 14]], [[269]] AD, Valentin was [[execution|beheaded]] because of his [[Christian]] faith.
An expansion of the legend combines the day of death of Valentine with the [[Roman]] festival [[Lupercalia]]. It was the festival of the great [[goddess]] [[Lupa]], which is the [[feminine]] word for [[wolf]]. She was the Great She-Wolf who nursed the [[twin]] babies, [[Romulus and Remus]], who later became the [[founder]]s of Rome. During the annual ceremony, the temple priestesses (lupae) wrote their names on strips of [[papyrus]]. These were picked by young men. After the [[lottery]], the youngsters walked through the city and got the [[blessing]]s of the [[citizen]]s. The [[martyr]] Valentine became the [[patron saint]] of the lovers. Still in the [[Middle Ages]], as in [[France]] or in [[Belgium]], people were chosen by the lottery to live a year with each other and people prayed to Saint Valentin to make love [[potion]]s and [[charm]]s.
