Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, All in the morning betime. And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. – William Shakespeare in Hamlet
Tomorrow, February 14 is a special day for lovers all over the world. In order to understand the significance of Valentine’s Day, we have to go back to ancient Rome in the Middle Ages. Unlike today, young men and women at that time used to celebrate Lupercalia, a fertility festival where a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and they would be linked for the rest of the year.
Later on, Christian priests changed the feast to Valentine’s Day in order to rid the land of heathen practices and children’s names were matched with the names of a saint whom they were then supposed to emulate.
The most popular theory of the beginning of Valentine’s Day is that it started during the tenure of Roman Emperor Claudius II. Being a cruel emperor, Claudius banned Roman men from marrying during a time of war. The emperor who was fighting a number of battles found that young men were reluctant to join the army.
Most of them preferred to be with their wives and enjoy life. As a result, he had to issue an edict prohibiting marriage between young men and women.
However, St. Valentine went against the edict and officiated at marriages. The emperor could not tolerate his behaviour. St. Valentine was arrested, imprisoned and summarily executed like a common criminal on 13 February 27 AD. However, before he was executed, St. Valentine fell in love with a jailor’s daughter to whom he wrote love letters signed, “From your Valentine.”
Although it is not proper to celebrate St. Valentine’s execution, Valentine’s Day has become one of the most romantic days of the year in many cultures. What is more, it has become a global phenomenon inspiring different traditions around the world.
For instance, lovers in Japan exchange chocolates on this day as a symbol of affection. In the Philippines Valentine Day is associated with good fortune for relationships. Mass weddings take place on this day. Valentine’s Day in Italy was originally a spring festival where young people gathered to read poetry and take romantic walks.
Germans have a queer custom of giving pigs as gifts to their loved ones. However, they are not live pigs but cuddly toys or cards depicting them.
A friend living in Germany says pigs are considered to be lucky mascots of future love. In affluent Singapore, people spend lavishly on Valentine’s Day buying expensive gifts for their loved ones.
Meanwhile Valentine’s Day has been hijacked by a women’s rights group to protest against domestic violence. They simply call it the ‘V-Day.’
Be my Valentine
Today ‘Valentine’ means someone you love or think is attractive that you send a card to on St. Valentine’s Day, with the message: “Be my Valentine.” Probably, there is no age limit to be a Valentine because you can fall in love at any age. Noah Webster says, “The 14th of February is a day sacred to St. Valentine. It was a very odd notion alluded to by William Shakespeare that on this day birds begin to couple; hence, perhaps, arose the custom of sending on this day letters containing professions of love and affection.”
To mark the 14th of February, Charles Stuart Calverley has written a beautiful poem:
Ere the morn the East has crimsoned,
When the stars are twinkling there
When the forest-nymphs are beading
Fern and flowers with silvery dew
My infallible proceeding
Is to wake, and think of you.
Once I happened to be in India on Valentine’s Day. While browsing through some newspapers I came across a few gems. A message (probably an advertisement) said, “Nearest, dearest, closest, sweetest, cutest, loveliest, hauntiest, tastiest, wittiest, crunchiest, Jannu. I love you. Yours and only yours.” Not to be outdone, another gushed, “Dearest Limpo, you are the most crunchiest, munchiest, loveliest, sensuous, wittiest, funniest, terrific guy I love. Lots, lots, lots of love to Limpo.”
Anglo-American customs
European folk traditions connected with Valentine’s Day have become marginalized by modern Anglo-American customs connected with romantic love. There are some associations connecting St Valentine with the advent of spring.
The customs of sending cards, flowers and chocolates originated in the United Kingdom. However, certain original customs are still prevalent in England. In Norfolk, a character known as ‘Jack Valentine’ knocks on the rear door of houses and leaves sweets and other gifts for children. However, many children are scared of the mystical person.
In Slovenia, St. Valentine was one of the saints of spring. He was the saint of good harvest, the patron of beekeeping and pilgrims. A popular proverb says St. Valentine brings the keys of roots, plants and flowers. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day.
The earliest description of 14 February as an annual celebration of love appears in the Charter of the Court of Love, allegedly issued by Charles VI of France in 1400. The charter describes lavishly festivities to be attended by several members of the royal court. A feast has to be held with amorous songs, poetry competitions, jousting and dancing. During the festivities the attending ladies would hear and rule on disputes from lovers.
We are in the habit of sending greeting cards on Valentine’s Day. The United States Greeting Card Association has estimated that 190 million valentines are sent each year in the US alone.
The popularity of the Internet at the turn of the century has created a new tradition of sending digital greetings in the form of e-cards and love coupons. In times to come, the traditions may undergo further changes. However, the people will not forget the significance of Valentine’s Day. [email protected]