Why are there bows and arrows?
Cupid was the son of Venus who was the goddess of beauty and love in Ancient Rome. People believed that when Cupid shot one of his arrows into a person's heart, it made him fall in love. One myth about Cupid says that he was bringing nectar to the gods in Olympus. On the way he tripped and fell, the vase breaking and the nectar spilling to earth in the form of a rose. Another myth gives the reason for the rose's thorns. One day, Cupid bent to kiss the velvet petals and was stung by an angry bee hidden in the flower. To punish the bee his mother, Venus, had Cupid string bees on his bowstring. She took the bee's stinger and put it along the stem of the flower. Ever since, the rose has had thorns.
Another hint of Valentine's Day in Rome was during their spring festival. The names of the girls would be written down and put in a stone pot. The boys would reach in and pull out the names of their sweethearts for the day. Often, they would become the boys real sweethearts.