What is Valentine's Day? How should Valentine's Day be celebrated? No, do we have to celebrate Valentine's Day at
all? Who is this Valentine? What's the fuss all about Valentine's Day? Read on... know all about Valentine's Day
here.
*****
 |
| Happy Valentine's Day |
Valentine's Day comes once an year and reminds people to be romantic in
their lives all through the year. Being romantic in life doesn't mean to get
physical in romance, mind you !!! It is just to be, to be plain romantic going
around and pleasing people, making them happy, bringing smiles on their faces,
recreating the ambience of warmth around, charming people with disarming
traits. That's the essence and meaning of true Valentine's Day !
How Valentine's Day has Come into Existence
Valentine's Day is the second most celebrated holiday around the world
after New Year's Day. It is celebrated as an event in several countries,
especially Europe and around the world. Valentine's Day is actually associated
with Christian Faith and the Church. People began to celebrate his martyrdom as
a Feast Day of Saint Valentine. But why is this Valentine's Day associated with
romance and courtship?
Valentine's Life in a Nutshell
Valentine was born as Valentinus somewhere around in the early 200 AD in
Rome. He was a devout Christian who lived amidst the brutal persecution of
Christians by the then Roman Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was a preacher and
clung to his Christian beliefs. He secretly encouraged and performed marriages
for Roman soldiers which act was forbidden by the Roman Emperor for soldiers.
He helped several Christians to escape persecution. Valentine was later caught,
imprisoned and condemned to death. He was finally executed on February 14th in
270 AD as history suggests.
Meantime while in prison, he is supposed to have performed a miracle
healing the jailor's daughter of her blindness. The jailor Asterius thought
that Valentine was a learned man. So he sent his blind daughter to gain wisdom
and knowledge from him. Valentine taught her everything including Jesus Christ.
She was impressed and a strong inner urge began to develop to see the world
with her eyes and everything that Valentine taught. So the legend goes that
Valentine prayed and she received her eyesight. after his execution he attained
martyrdom and later Sainthood.
 |
| Hi, Happy Valentine's Day ! |
Until it turned out to be a Day of Romance, Valentine's Day was earlier
celebrated as the Day of Feast. The first reference for the Day of Romance on
Valentine's Day was attributed to Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), the renowned
poet of the middle-ages, who associated romance in his poems to Valentine's
Day. In one of his works "Parlement of Foules" (written in 1382), he
writes 'For this was on Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose
his mate.'
Ever since every poet worth his salt seems to have associated
Valentine's Day to love, romance, courtship and marriage as well. William
Shakespeare (1564 -1616) is not left behind. He too has caught the fancy of
Valentine's Day.
Look what he said in his tragic play Hamlet (written around 1600) Act
IV, Scene 5 The character was Ophelia.
To-morrow is Saint Valentine's
day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his
clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a
maid
Never departed more.
Besides poetry it is also believed by many that since Valentine
performed secret marriages of the Roman soldiers it was thought it fit to
celebrate as a Day of Romance and Courtship on Valentine's Day. That is on 14th
Feb, the day of his martyrdom.
But sadly, over the years the connotation of Valentine's Day has changed
and the spirit of Valentine's Day was subverted. Going by the history of
Valentine, the Valentine's Day should suppose to be celebrated as a Day of
Wedding Anniversary by the world in accordance with other major events like New
Year's Day.
 |
| The Supposed Oldest Valentine Card |
The History of First Valentine Greeting
On the eve of his execution, Valentine has reportedly written his first
greeting to the jailor's daughter bidding adieu to her signing in the end as
"From Your Valentine." This endearing greeting might have also
influenced the Valentine's Day to be celebrated as a Day of Romance and
Courtship. The expression "From your Valentine" is still used to this
day.
Also When Valentine became a martyr; the legend has it that the Jailor's
daughter planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave. Thus today, the
almond tree has become a symbolic entity for steadfast love and friendship.
But today, Valentine's Day has come down to a level to attain such
notoriety that it is looked down upon by the elders as bad influence on their
children.
