HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL!
Some of us thrill at the prospect of spending a whole day celebrating it, and others feel like it has been commercialized and confused. But regardless of how you think about Valentine's Day, the "holiday of love" is one of the most popular traditions in Western culture. Saint Valentine's Day has been ranked as the second biggest card-selling holiday (Christmas being the first) globally, with well over 151 million cards purchased. Many, however, see it either as an encroachment of 'foreign culture' in their society or as a painful reminder of their colonial past. Regardless of the differences, we can all agree to “Give Love A Chance”!!
Valentine’s Day is thought to be named after one or more early Christian martyrs called Valentinus (Valentine from the 3rd century CE. They were killed for defying oppressive laws against Christians and young lovers who were denied marriage.
When the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, many pagan celebrations, which were now unacceptable, were replaced with Christian holidays. Thus the pagan festival of Lupercalia, which fell in the middle of February, and was dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Romulus and Remus, the mythological founders of Rome, may have been transformed into something more acceptable to the church.
Its origins remain shrouded in mystery and may never unveil themselves, but despite its mix of pagan and Christian symbolism – Valentine's Day is celebrated almost internationally, although in different manners. For some, it is a Christian holiday – a feast commemorating Saint Valentine's sacrifice, while others look at it through a secular lens.
