-- Hearts and flowers, cupids and candy -- today's symbols of Valentine's Day are well removed from the circumstances which launched this annual display of overt affection. Established as a religious holiday, the Feast of St. Valentine honored the Christian martyr who lost his life during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II.

    According to various historical accounts, Valentine, a holy priest in Rome, was persecuted for his Christian faith and executed on Feb. 14, approximately 270 A.D. His crimes against the Roman Empire differ depending upon the source, but some believe he was arrested for secretly performing Christian marriages despite Claudius' orders to the contrary, while others cite his penchant to assist Christian martyrs in their escape from Roman prisons as his primary offense.

    Either way, Valentine became a symbol of love and compassion and was conveniently plucked from obscurity several hundreds of years later when the Christian church gained a stronger foothold in Europe and set about eradicating pagan rituals.

    Again, depending on the source, we're told that the Feast of St. Valentine came to replace a mid-February fertility festival called Lupercalia or that it was established to abolish a heathen village custom of boys drawing the names of girls on the 15th of the month in honor of the goddess Februata Juno. Still others claim that sending greetings to loved ones on Feb. 14 dates to the middle ages when it was believed that this day marked the beginning of the mating season for birds.