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The most awaited day every year is Valentine’s Day or February 14th! Why? It is on this day that one individual expresses his/her love and esteem for another. The gestures used to express such feelings are candy, cards and flowers. Schoolchildren, adults and teenagers–all are eager for this day to come. Youngsters exchange cards which depict symbols of the heart and cupid. Though people remember this day as just being associated with romance, there is a story behind this, and it is associated with a figure called St. Valentine.
For this story, we will have to go back as far as the third century, because it is when Valentine lived on this earth. This Catholic priest lived during the time when Emperor Claudius II was ruling over Rome. The Emperor was having difficulty in building up an army, since few were ready to join. They refused to be sent to far off places where they would have to stay away from their homes for long periods of time.
Frustrated and angry, the Emperor Claudius concluded that unmarried men would have nothing to lose and therefore be more willing recruits. His solution to the problem was to decree that marriage for young men be outlawed. This did not sit well with the young men, and those in love found the humble priest Valentine more than willing to perform the marriage sacraments for the ardent lovers in secret. Unfortunately, Valentine was found out and arrested by Claudius. He was thrown into prison and sentenced to death.
One of the prison guards felt sympathy for this priest. To help him while away his time, he permitted his young daughter to pay visits to Valentine. The two became close friends. Before he was taken to the gallows, Valentine gave his friend a letter with the signature, “From your Valentine”. And that has become the launch pad for the modern Valentine’s Day!
The Vatican eventually declared Valentine a Saint. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius I declared the date of his death in 270 A.D., February 14th, St. Valentine’s Day, a day to express sentiments of love and romance, celebrating the power of the spirit over the material world.
Over time, at least by the Middle Ages, this day became very famous and Europe celebrated it with gusto! In 1415, when the Duke of Orleans (Charles) was housed in the Tower of London as a punishment, he dispatched a card to his wife on February 14th. This practice continues on every Valentine’s Day all over the world.
Lovers in various parts of the world devised their own ways of expressing their feelings. Youngsters in Wales exhibited spoons that had hearts carved on them, along with keys to indicate that the recepient could now unlock the giver’s heart! Europeans developed the custom of exchanging gifts and other practices. Also, names drawn from bowls were pinned on the sleeves. This indicated a public declaration of their love for their chosen valentines. Women were gifted clothing by the men who loved them. If they accepted this gift, they would get engaged to be married.
Whatever it may be, St. Valentine’s Day is here to stay. And St. Valentine has been responsible for creating the most “loved” unofficial holiday in the world! The customs of yesteryears do not survive today; they have been replaced by candy, cards and flowers. Some enjoy candlelight dinners. Whatever, love has survived the stresses of time!
