Dear Brothers/Sisters, We all are aware of the celebration on 14th February each year which is popularly termed as Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day. We all see the customs and practices celebrated on account of this day. But have we ever asked ourselves what actually it is, how it came from, why we celebrate it and after all whether we should celebrate this day.
One can hardly find authentic sources and narrations on the origin of the occasion. However, there are lot of myths and interesting stories associated with the history, mostly fabricated after centuries. While few historians argue that no romantic or love elements are present in the biographies of saints named Valentines, majority of them try to rearrange the dispersed information of history in this regard and formulate the origin and context. Based on weighted sources and narrations, I am presenting here the origin and context of the St. Valentine’s Day.
Around two/three centuries before Christ, Romans used to believe that marriage makes one weak and so the married men were supposed to be unfit as soldiers. The first information about this day is found in pre-Christian Rome, when pagans used to celebrate the "Feast of the Wolf" on February 15, also known as the Feast of Lupercalius in honour of Februata Juno, the Roman goddess of women and marriage, and Pan, Roman god of nature. On this day, young women would place their names in an urn, from which boys would randomly draw to discover their sexual companion for the day, the year, and sometimes the rest of their lives. These partners exchanged gifts as a sign of affection, and often married.
After approximately five centuries i.e. after two centuries from the birth of Prophet Jesus (Peace be upon him), Christians came in Rome to preach their religion. When Christianity came into the picture of Rome, it wanted to replace the “Feast of the Wolf” with something more in line with its ethics and morality. Based on the belief that a single or bachelor man is a better soldier than one with wives and families, Claudius II - the then Roman Emperor outlawed marriage for young single man who made up his military. Christian saints in Rome did not like it and so started to oppose. Among them, an Italian Bishop known as Valentine extremely defied Claudius and used to conduct secret marriages of young couples and military men in the year 270. When his actions were revealed, Claudius put him to death on February 14. A number of Christians decided to consider February 14, 270 as a memorable day which later got the name Valentine’s Day.
Another version of the story says that Valentine was a holy priest in Rome, who helped Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. Valentine was arrested and sent to the prefect of Rome for this. While staying in the prison awaiting execution, he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. He found that his attempts to make Valentine renounce his faith were useless, and so recommended he be beaten with clubs, and later beheaded. This took place on February 14, 270.
The celebration of the “Feast of the Wolf” promoting free sex continued until eighteenth century. It got abolished in France with a ban over the ritual in 1776. In England too, it was banned during seventeenth century. In other countries like Austria, Germany, Italy etc., this inhuman practice got vanished over long years.
The Valentine’s Day has got popularity only in the last few centuries with its officialization as a holiday by the influence of the Christian preachers and invaders throughout the world. It was in the year 496 that Pope Gelasius officially changed the February 15 Lupercalia festival “Feast of the Wolf” to the February 14 St. Valentine's Day to give Christian meaning to a pagan festival. Moreover, he changed the custom of the festival. Instead of young men, names of the saints were kept in the disk and people were to choose the saints whom they have to follow for a certain period preferably one year till the next Valentine’s Day. The holiday becomes popular in the United States in the 1800's during the Civil War.
It is now obvious that the intent of the Valentine’s Day is to promote true love and marriage instead of free sex and immorality. As we see that the day is no more celebrated in its true perspective, rather it is used as a tool that helps to promote obscenity and immoral relationship between couples. In other words, it is working as a window of sex-centric young generation which is poisonous for a healthy society.
Similar to the Christian saints who tried to christianize the occasion, the Multi National Companies (MNC) have hijacked and trying to form it so as to get the maximum profit. It is an agenda of the capitalists that they create virtual needs and requirements, and supply goods to fulfill those to make money out of the various occasions like New Year Celebration, Valentine’s Day, etc. So, as of now, to celebrate the day means to help the MNCs capitalize and to promote immorality. Which among these two do you desire? Of course! none of these. Then say a big blatant NO to this day. Try to develop true love for mankind and limit not for only one person. Prevent yourselves from all kinds of evils both physically and psychologically that may originate from free-mixing.
Remember that truly successful are those who patiently persevere and never cross the limit. They care for ethics and consider women as mother and sister, and not as objects of lust and sexual partners. They always have believed in God and hereafter without which the concept of human values become worthless. Do not let your instinct drive you, rather drive it based on your conscience.
Don’t forget that your heart finds rest and tranquility in the remembrance of God. Remembrance refers to not just verbal pronunciation, but also through welfare activities as prescribed by Allah. Pleasure out of free-mixing can never satisfy you and rather, it makes you more hungry for such pleasures like the example of a mirage in a desert. So, if you really want a peaceful soul and mind, you should, as a first step, abstain from all kinds of unethical activities. Hope you will save yourself and let your friends save themselves too.
The article is written by Ayatullah Faruque, Research Fellow, Jadavpur University.
