Leigh Valentine
Come January and your hearts start pouncing in anticipation of the Valentine's Day. It is a popular day today throughout the world. Valentine's Day is fêted on 14th February as a celebration of love. The Valentine's Day is named after the saint Valentine or Valentenus. How ever lesser people know that this day is not a modern celebration or a marketing gimmick. This is actually a traditional celebration of the month of love and fertility i.e. February.
Did you know that-
1. Valentine Day dates back to the ancient Greek era and is dedicated to the martyrdom of Saint Valentine.
2. The day is celebrated in February, as it is known as a month of love and fertility in the catholic history.
3. Also the God Zeus and Hera got married in the month of February according to the ancient Greek mythology. 4. The God of fertility Lupercus was presented half naked dressed in goatskin in this month as well.
5. During a ban on marriages of the Roman Soldiers by Claudius second, Saint Valentine helped the couples to get married.
6. Central Europe has a holiday to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Who was saint valentine
Three saints were martyred in ancient Rome in the third century. One of them was Saint Valentine or Saint Valentenus. Pope Gelaious One first celebrated the day in 496. This was a feast to the deeds of the man for his lesser-known jobs. For him the Pope quoted’ “whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God”. The catholic records still had three possibilities of the Saint Valentines actual existence. According to it, the Saint Valentine could be:
• Bishop of Modern Temi
• A martyr of Roman province in Africa
• A Priest in Rome.
The facts reveal that both the priest and the bishop are buried in Rome. An ancient Roman Town’s Gate was known as Saint Valentines Gate in the early 12th Century. The archeologists have also found the 5th century band of flowers that Saint Valentine used to wear on his forehead.
As far as the Bishop is concerned, there is no mention of his birth and death in the catholic calendar. His preaching was considered insane and his work was not allowed to surface.
There is ample evidence of the fact that Valentine was a most popular and acknowledged theologist in the Christian era. One such concrete proof is the unearthing of remains of Saint Valentino from caves of Via Tirbunita near Rome in 1863. Another ancient record book denotes that saint valentine refused to bow down to the Christ before he was being crucified. This implies that he belonged to the catholic era.
Saint valentines love story
According to Historians, he wrote his first Valentines message to himself. He was imprisoned for helping the Romans soldiers getting married. One night he was helping out a couple by whispering the ceremonial words in a candle lit room. Valentine was caught and arrested by the Claudius’s soldiers and pit into jail. There fell in love with the daughter of the jailor of the jail where he was imprisoned. He wrote a love note to her and his signatures on the letter, “from your valentine” is still in use.
He was one person who brought love closer to God. He went beyond the traditional preaching and presented love in a different and broad light. Saint Valentine advocated the fact that Love is not anything to be ashamed off. It is in fact a heavenly feeling that only the lucky ones experience in the world. For those in Love, he dedicated his lifetime and went on to preach that Love is above all religions and societies.
Hummm…butterflies in the stomach by just the mention of Love!!! Let’s discuss about the Valentine's Day ahead.
Saint Valentine's Day
For this was sent on Saint Valentine’s Day
When every fourteen cometh to choose his mate.
This is the couplet in Chauser’s Parliament of Foules. These short sentences entail the importance of Valentine's Day. These lines mean that because it was a Saint Valentine's Day, every soul on the earth comes to choose his\her soul mate on this particular day. This day is meant for Love, Love and just Love.
Well, for Saint Valentine would have been quiet in peace in Heaven, the reason being growing number of his followers. Every 14th February lovers around the world rejoice their love and likings. They revive the broken bonds, make new bonds and strengthen old bonds of affection by expressing their feelings to each other.
The first association of Saint Valentine's Day with romance and love was found in France, United Kingdom and United States of America. February 14th was earlier celebrated as a day when birds were paired together to mate. As the 17th century approached, the day began to be celebrated by exchanging gifts.
The lover or beloved is known as a Valentine. The reason behind this is when Saint Valentine was being martyred, he wrote a love note to the jailor’s daughter. At the end of the note he wrote “from your Valentine”. That was it! Now every Valentine's Day Gift or note carries the signature “from your Valentine…” “Be my Valentine” is the traditional way of proposing someone you long for. .
Valentine's day : A Tribute to love
Valentine's Day is a true tribute to love. This day has become excessively popular through out the globe. Chocolates, flowers, balloons, Cards and teddy bears are some of the most popular gifts for your Valentine. This day has also become an opportunity to earn great profits. Different industries started promoting Valentine's Day, associating it with their own products. The diamond industry started its promotion in 1980’s in the United States. Other industries followed soon.
The essence of a Valentine’s Day gift lies in the feelings of the person. If you present a rose with all the love in your bosom, reflecting in your eyes, it’s a million dollar gift to your valentine.
