By CAROLYN McGAVIN

On February 14 in 270 A.D. Saint Valentine was beheaded. One theory says that Claudius II, Emperor of Rome, wanted all his men to be soldiers and forbid them to wed. Saint Valentine overlooked his orders and married men and women secretly. For this he was beheaded.

You may now wonder how such a man who died in this fashion has a special day named after him. Many historians actually believe Valentine's Day happened by accident.

Our ancestors celebrated an annual event ‑ the Spring Festival of Lupercalia ‑ held on honor of human fertility and the coming of spring. Years later the early Christian fathers started abolishing wild pagan celebrations by substituting Christian holidays. They renamed the Lupercalia Festival Saint Valentine's Day.

Although this was done, they could not change the festival's influence on the people. The people still felt the middle of February meant the beginning of spring and, of course, mating season. Saint Valentine's Day became associated with spring, "when a young man finds his mate."

By the fifteenth century February 14 was the day to choose your lover. On this special day all the men and women would put their names into a hat, a sort of "pot‑luck." Occasionally the male would pull the name of the girl he fancied. Lucky or not, he would have to buy the girl expensive gifts for the whole year. The most valued gift for an unattached girl was a pair of gloves, then considered a step closer to marriage.

The old custom of Valentine's Day has changed considerably in the last 1,700 years. But to some people the old tradition is still celebrated. Bringing flowers or candy to your girlfriend is just as thoughtful as a pair of white gloves. But if you get a pair of white gloves, girls, don't be angry!