Sunday, February 13, 2011

Valentines Day and the Concept of Love

Valentines day that is celebrated as a day when love and affection floats in air, somehow does not have any historic background to it.  The word Valentine is more so associated with the Martyrs.  The day is more or less named after the Christian Martyrs who attained martyrdom while preaching Christianity.

Saint Valentine who is identified to be associated with the day is not the only Valentine as per the historical facts around Valentine Day.  It is a myth that he was executed by Roman Emperor Claudius II for secretly marrying the young man who otherwise were not supposed to marry as per Claudius's Regime. The myth extends that Emperor Claudius thought that young unmarried man are better soldiers than married ones'.

However, if we get to the root of the facts, we find that Saint Valentine was thrown in prison and executed when he did not collude with the Emperor when the Emperor wanted Saint Valentine to convert to Roman Paganism.  Saint Valentin on the contrary is identified to have tried to impress and convince the Emperor to convert to Christianity.

The another myth associated with Valentines' Day is that it is a Holy day and is integral part of the Roman Catholic Calendar. But, if we look at that part, in 1969, the day was removed from the General Roman Catholic Calendar and relegated to local calendars.

Now lets come to the Indian Scenario, the Day "Valentines Day" is more so in practice for the commercial interest of the multinational organizations that operate in India.  The sort of promotions and the sort of offers that fly to attract the youngsters on this day marks the clear demarcation of the Valentines Day as more of Pomp and Show Day than actually Expressing the Love to the Beloved.  I am shocked that the youngsters flock to coffee shop or other such hang outs with the ones' whom they express love and later in the evening they are found to be shaking their legs in a Discotheque with a glass of Drink in their hands.  I have been surprised when I was invited to one such Party at one of friends' place where I found that the guy who proposed to a girl in the day was getting intimate with another girl that evening. It was pretty shocking for me and when I asked, he said he was going around with that girl and was waiting for proposing to the girl he loved for the year round and waiting for Valentines Day. He also added that before the party he told the girl that he proposed someone.... That guy and his partner that evening were also celebrating it as their official Break-up Day....

For me the concept from than on was ridiculous and when I got to the facts, I was like, "Do We Know the Facts about the Day?"

3 comments:

  1. Good Post CP.... Very Nice one .. i like it so much .. In India and today when I was on the way to my office some boys begging gal and forcing them to accept their RED ROSE or Some gift.. Even thy are strangers to each other... I never see any love and affection.. Ya some old lovers or husband wife like me celebrate this day seriously.. But for youngsters of today it is fun nothing else.....

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  2. This post actually gave a real insight of the true history which I could never imagine to have existed otherwise.

    But,if i have explored it correctly and if you permit, I would like to add a little act here. I agree the day is associated with martyrs and saint Valentine but what you have not mentioned here is about his 'love life. While he was in the prison, the jailor of the prison made him meet his daughter and saint Valentine ell in love. Just before his execution he wrote a note for his love mentioning "From your Valentine".

    So,the history has it that the day also has a tinch of love apart from being associated with executions :)

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  3. Thanks Annu for sharing your viewpoint and experience on this side

    Sonali, your point is right that I Omitted the part that you highlighted and that was totally intentional. The reason I omitted that was, my understanding of the incident happens to tell "if St Valentine the letter was left by St. Valentine on the day of his Execution and due to that the Ritual of Valentine's Day started to propose. Then it reflects on the sick mentality of the people and then the followers. Look at it this way that the letter was the last letter of St. Valentine to the Jailor's Daughter. So does that mean that the Guys' or Girls proposing each other on this Day should either be executed or they never ever going to be together???"

    Ain't it more of a Gross misunderstanding that St. Valentine left a Love letter, the day should be celebrated as Valentine's day for the Lovers. The Line "Will You be my Valentine asked by guys to girls, if interpreted relating to what happened in History, would mean the Guy is asking the Girl - "Are you going to Die after this Day" as St. Valentine was executed and the letter was discovered later to his death. He did no good to that poor girl "Jailor's Daughter" rather he hurt her. So..... I leave it on you to interpret as you would like to :)

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