The story of Valentine’s Day [Archives:2006/921/Last Page]
By: Adel Al-Haddad
alhaddad.adel@gmail.com
The history of Valentine's Day is not completely clear. There are several stories about this day that is celebrated in the name of St. Valentine. However, it is a tradition that derives from ancient Rome, where the month of February was the month of spring and subsequently, a month of romance.
The most famous legends about this day involve a priest called Valentine who lived in the third century in Rome. Emperor Claudius II, had ordered Roman soldiers not to fall in love and not to marry. He thought that single men were better soldiers than married ones, because married men would probably rather stay with their families than fight enemies. But Valentine felt that the emperor's decree was oppressive. He challenged Claudius II and secretly married young lovers. When the emperor discovered what was going on, he sentenced the priest to death. As a result, Valentine was beheaded on February 14th around 270 AD. After his death he was considered a saint, and his day of passing have since been honoured as a day of love.
According to another legend, Valentine himself was actually the first one to send a Valentine greeting, while he was in prison. He fell in love with a young girl and sent her a letter signed 'from your Valentine'. An expression that is still used today. Others believe that St. Valentine was killed because he helped Christians escape from being tortured in Roman prisons.
Another explanation is that February used to be the month where Romans celebrated the pagan festival of Lupercalia. On the 14th it was the custom that names of Roman girls was written on pieces of paper and put into jars. Then, young men would pull out a piece of paper, and the girl whose name was on it, would be his companion for a year. But two hundred years after the death of Valentine, the patrons of the early Christian church wanted to stop this tradition of shifting partners at random. Around 498 AD Pope Gelasius declared February 14th to be St. Valentine's Day, and the idea that this day is a day of romance grew from there.
A Valentine is nothing like
A chocolate or a rose.
For in a week these shall be gone,
But Valentines remain.
If love were always sweet to tongue
Or fragrant to the nose,
Each day would be like Valentine's,
And we would go insane.
A Valentine just hangs around
Waiting to be kissed
Long after special days have passed
And every days are here.
So one is wise to choose one well
And chocolate to resist.
For in the midst of mania
It's nice to have one near.
Rory Dall O'Caghan
——
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