We find Excuses to Celebrate, Who cares for the reason?, a Valentine Story
Today my WhatsApp is filled with good wishes for Valentine’s Day. Young lovers are exchanging red roses, chocolates and lately Teddy Bears.
I did not know about St Valentine. So I decided to find out. Who else will tell me all about it instantly except Google brother. I approached him.
I found many versions of the celebration of this day.
The most favourable version told that St. Valentine was a Roman priest who was beheaded by Emperor Claudius II Gothicus about 270 during the persecution of Christians.
Emperor Claudius II Gothicus was an expansionist and annexed many kingdoms by fighting and defeating those kings. He had ordered that all able-bodied bachelor males join his armed forces compulsorily. He spared married people from this compulsion.
St Valentine helped many young lovers by converting them to Christianity and getting them married. The Emperor was angry when he was told about it. He arrested St Valentine and beheaded him.
Since then, his execution day has been traditionally celebrated as the day of betrothal or a solemn promise of marriage.
Another version said that there were many Valentines (like we have Swamy’s), and none were associated with romance.
One such Valentini was arrested by Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. The Emperor had kept him under the safe custody of a trusted Aristocrat. But he made the mistake of allowing Valentini under arrest to talk.
So Valentini convinced the Aristocrat himself to convert to Christianity with long religious conversations. But he wanted proof of authenticity of what Valentini told him. So the Aristocrat asked Valentini to cure his blind foster daughter.
With some miracle, Valentini cured the girl, and then the entire family of the Aristocrat got converted. On hearing about the conversion, the Emperor came to know about it, he executed them, including Valentini.
One woman somehow stole the torso of Valentini and buried him. Later on, the burial ground, St Valentine’s Church, came up, and the day of his beheading started being celebrated as Valentine’s Day.
Later, some people romantically connected St. Valentine with the blind girl he had cured.
I started thinking about these kinds of celebrations. I admit that all of us, including non-Christians, celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on 25 January every year; we exchange “Merry Christmas” greetings to all and Sunday.
The main focus remains on merrymaking, eating cakes and Turkey and having a Holiday. But if we are so happy with Jesus Christ birth, we should better mourn his Crucifixion as well.
Lent
Christians are supposed to prepare their hearts by observing penance for 40 days before Easter Saturdays. This period is called Lent.
During Lent, they eat very simple and bland food. On Good Friday, they observe fast. All these are voluntarily done to repent for sins.
Are we all prepared to follow this custom as well? Similarly, Muslims keep Roza and Hindus have umpteen occasions to stay in fast. But people usually do not observe these restrictions.
In short, we love to find excuses to get a holiday, spend money and celebrate. But unfortunately, the commercial world takes full advantage of this to profit.
Pulwama Attack
We must remember those 44 Indian martyrs who laid down their lives on this date if we have hearts.
On 14 February 2019, at Pulwama J & K, a terrorist suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden SUV into vehicles carrying CRPF Jawans.
Can’t we light a lamp on our windows, remembering them? Do not we have time to show solidarity with those families whose lamp has been untimely put out forever?
Note: Blog is work of Personal Option of Author.
Author Amit Kumar Goswami 