The Valentine's Day Challenge

Valentine’s Day

On the 14th of February people of all races and ages exchange cards and rejoice over their love for one another. This holiday, referred to as Valentine’s Day, is often said to be celebrated in honor of a certain martyred saint. Although the history of this saint remains somewhat mysterious, the Catholic Church recognizes three saints named Valentine who had all been martyred and all of whom may have been the original Valentine.
One of these legends tells of a saint who lived during the third century in Rome, and served as a priest under Emperor Claudius II. Claudius had outlawed marriage for young men because he believed that single men made better soldiers than did men with families and wives. Valentine refused to recognize Claudius’s demands because he believed that marriage was part of God’s plan for humanity. The priest continued to perform marriage services for couples secretly in the capital. When Claudius discovered that Valentine had defied his orders he had the priest executed.
Other legends exist about these three different saints named Valentine. One states that Valentine had helped prisoners escape from abusive prisons and was discovered and executed for this crime. Another story suggests that Valentine was a prisoner himself who, while imprisoned, fell in love with a young woman. This young woman was the jailor’s daughter who had visited him numerous times during his confinement. It is said that Valentine wrote her the first Valentine card while in prison and signed it “From your Valentine.”
Although the stories all differ slightly, there are many characteristics that remain the same. In each of these legends St. Valentine is a romantic who values love and was a hero. It is through these stories that the holiday known as Valentine’s Day has gained such popularity; making it the second largest card-selling holiday.

Commentary on My Experience

I enjoyed the Valentine’s Day Challenge because it differed greatly from how I normally conduct research. Usually, I automatically begin my research on JSTOR, EBSCO, or Proquest because they are provided by American University and I have been taught how to evaluate the validity of the articles provided by these sites. Once I realized I could not turn to these databases for this assignment, I took a new approach.
I began my research on the free online encyclopedia called Wikipedia. I searched for the term “Valentine’s Day” and found a background about many aspects about the holiday. I decided to focus on the history of the numerous saints connected to this holiday. I knew that I would not use the information on this site for anything more than a starting point because Wikipedia has had many problems with posting false information. Therefore, I decided to read the information given by the site and find the same information on a more reliable website. The bibliography at the bottom of the Wikipedia page linked me to The History Channel’s website. I determined that this was a much more legitimate source of information because it was associated with an established organization that could be held accountable for the information given.
The History Channel had an entire page dedicated to the history of Valentine’s Day. The most helpful link on this page was entitled “The History of Valentine’s Day,” and it gave exactly the information I was looking for regarding the saints connected to this holiday. Although I was inclined to trust the information on this website, I still wanted find even more validity in my information. Therefore, I went to one last website, the BBC’s website. This site, which was once again provided by an established and respected organization, also matched the previous information I had found. This last site confirmed that I was using truthful and valid information and I was finally content enough to post it.