VALENTINE DAY: BEYOND WINNING AND DINNING
Many people thought of Valentine’s Day basically as a special day to wine, dine and make fun. Some regard it as a day for partying and drinking to become drunk not really understanding the origin or history behind the celebration. The genesis of Valentine’s Day was not romantic after all.
Val Day for short, for 2021 falls on a Sunday, February 14th. We bring you this story for you to know how to prepare and celebrate wisely.
Who then is Valentine that the worlds eulogise and celebrate worldwide today? What made him unique that all over the world he’s celebrated and a day chosen to remember him?
Available records show that Valentine’s Day is a fixed day on the ancient Roman calendar. Saint Valentine Day was a feast in the Catholic religion, added to the liturgical Calendar around 500 AD.
The day was for the remembrance of martyred saint named Valentine. Different stories celebrate three different Saints called Valentine or Valentinus but because little was known about these men, and there were dissenting reports of the Saints Valentine’s Day, the feast day was expunged from the Christian liturgical Calendar in 1969
An account reveals that Saint Valentine refused to convert to paganism and was executed by the Roman Emperor Claudius 11. Prior to his death, he miraculously healed the daughter of his jailer, which eventually converted the jailer and his family to Christianity
Another version says a bishop called Saint Valentine of Terni was the true namesake of the celebrity who was also executed.
In another history,(which really makes Saint Valentine became associated with a love focused celebration, Saint Valentine was a Roman priest who performed weddings for soldiers outlawed to marry because of a Roman emperor’s decree that married soldiers did not make good warriors; this prevented young men from marriage. It was recorded that this Valentine wore a ring with cupid on it-(cupid is a symbol of love) which made soldiers revered him. And before the current use of greetings cards, he handed out paper hearts to remind Christians of their love for God.
‘’What actually solidified the connection between saint Valentine and love was a poem by the medieval author Geoffrey Chaucer in 1381 which historians consider the origin of the ‘’modern celebration of Valentine’s Day’’.
Most of these versions of Valentine’s stories are faces of same coin. They are unanimous that saint Valentine was a Christian Saint and a friend of many children who the Romans put in prison because he believed in Jesus Christ and would not pray to Roman gods. According to ‘The World Book –Student Discovery Encyclopedia, Chicago, the children missed Valentine (while imprisoned) and tossed loving notes to him through the window of his cell . This story may explain why people send messages on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s cards were first sold in the early 1800. Many of them were blank inside leaving space for the sender to write a message. Kate Greenaway, a British artist, became famous for her Valentine’s in the late 1800’s . Many of her cards had pictures of happy children and lovely gardens.
Valentine’s include both humorous and romantic cards. Special ones are printed for sweethearts, for husbands, wives, relations. Many cards say ‘’ Be My Valentine’’
Today Valentine’s Day is a special day that is still celebrated on 14th February. People in the US, Canada, Australia, Nigeria and other African countries and most European countries celebrate Val’s Day. Some send flowers, candy to their wives, husbands etc. Many Valentine’s candy boxes are heart shaped and tied with a red ribbon.
One sensible caution is for the youths, teenagers and also the adults not to abuse the Val Day for frivolous love –making. A day celebration can solidified a good relationship or broken one, but it could also come out in the negative if not handled with caution all in the name of celebration of a Valentine Day.
Also, Valentine Day typifies a good heart and love and it should not be restricted to February 14th. It should be a continuous togetherness which is the purpose of the celebration.
While celebrating Valentine Day, Cave-care, remember COVID-19 is blowing around. Keep safe and observe the social distances and other precautionary measures put in place against this monster called corona-Virus.
Have a good 2021 Val’s Day.