Valentine-A gift of love   Date: Tuesday 23 May, 2006 Omnia vincit Amor: et nos cedamus Amori Love conquers all: and let us too surrender to love. -Virgil, Eclogues Every year, all loved ones around the world wait anxiously for the special day designated for love, Valentine?s Day, to express and to receive tokens of love and affection. No longer is this day restricted to a specific country or region. People from diverse cultures and religions are as enthusiastic about the celebration of this day, as in the western world. Why, one may ask, has this day gained so much eminence over the years in those parts of the world that are totally divorced from the culture from which the valentine day originated? The reasons could be manifold- a desire to express love is an intrinsic human emotion and the underlying message of this day is to spread the message of love. It has also helped to alleviate the atmosphere of hatred and hostility that has been plaguing the cause of world peace. Some critics of the widespread celebration of this day argue that the present day festivities that mark this day only smack of consumerism and are totally divorced from the true essence of Valentine?s Day. Whatever the reason or cause of celebrating this day, Valentine?s Day brings with it a spirit of joy, love and happiness and that is the true essence of every festival celebrated in any culture and society around the world. No treatise on Valentine?s Day can be complete without a brief look at the history of this day. All of us, whenever asked about the historical significance of the day, must have remarked that it has something to do with a saint named St. Valentine who lived many many years ago. But who was St. Valentine, what did he do and how did this day begin to be celebrated as Valentine?s Day? Some of the theories claim that the feast of Lupercalia, which was celebrated by Romans in the third century, is the earliest predecessor of the present day Valentine?s Day. During the course of this festival, a practice was also followed to honor Goddess Juno. The names of several girls were put in a box and were drawn out by men. Several matches of boys and girls were made that were meant to last a year. It is believed, that with the spread of Christianity, the feast of Lupercalia came to be converted into the Christian festival of Valentine. The most popular legend speaks about a priest who lived in Rome in the third century. He defied the decree of emperor Claudius II who barred his soldiers to enter into matrimony because he believed that men who did not marry turned out to be more efficient soldiers. He was so appalled by the decision of the Emperor that, to help the lovelorn couples who wished to be together, he started performing secret weddings. Unfortunately, his actions were soon discovered and he was put behind bars and awarded a death sentence by the enraged emperor. Since the nature of the popular legends is such that truth often gets interspersed by fiction, various other theories about this heroic figure have taken shape over the years. Another popular legend claims that St. Valentine was jailed for the offence of helping Christians and he fell in love with the jailor?s daughter while in prison and wrote a love letter to her signed as ?from your valentine?. Claudius had him beheaded on February 14, 269 A.D. Though the absolute truth always remains ambiguous, St. Valentine is undoubtedly the most romantic figure whose popularity has sustained over the years through the celebration of ?Valentine?s Day?. In Europe, the earliest instances of Valentine can be found in the letters of Charles, Duke of Orleans, who wrote poems for his wife from the Tower of London, where he was imprisoned after the Battle of Agnicourt. Several other illustrations, drawings and writings during the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth and the eighteenth century show that the valentine spirit was gaining prominence over the years. The 14th day of February was also the day on which the birds were believed to choose their mates. The birds chosen as symbols of fidelity were the ones that were believed to choose their mates for life. Valentines containing messages came into circulation in the 1800s that contained love messages and were created out of paper and embellished with delicate and exotic fabrics. Some of them sported lovely images of cupids and turtledoves on them. Valentine?s Day has undergone a big changeover in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Gifts have become much more elaborate, celebrations have become more boisterous and its popularity has spread far and wide. Valentine carries a message of love for all the loved ones in your life- be it your sweetheart, spouse, children, parents and even your teacher or co-workers. With the festival becoming more and more commercialized every year, you can choose from a wide variety of attractive gifts. Express your love through flowers, poems, candies, books, CD?s and even jewelry. A lot may decry the spirit of commercialism that this festival is promoting around the world but one also need to look at the positive aspects of celebrating this day- it provides an outlet to our feelings and emotions, it gives us an opportunity to give happiness to others and most of all, it carries a message of love for everyone. So consumerist in nature or not, the promotion of this festival has only led to the promotion of a feeling called love. Let us remember that ? Love is all, we have, the only way that each can help the other? - Euripides, Orestes . Article Statistics: Viewed:24260 Current Reviews: 0