The myth of ‘Valentine’s Day’

Valentine’s day, Saint Valentine’s Day, or the feast of valentine is an annual celebration of romantic love, friendship, and admiration on the 14th day of February annually. This is done mostly by sending messages of love, gifts, and message of hope to family, friends, and partners.

There are many stories associated with valentine’s days, for instance, the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians and persecuted under the Rome Empire in the third century.

Other reports also suggest that the legend wrote a letter to the jailer’s daughter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell before his execution.

Another research also said Saint Valentine performed a wedding for some Christian Soldiers who were forbidden to marry.

Further research suggests that valentine’s day or love feast is not based on any Christians principle of true love but free sex. It is said that before the advent of Christianity, the pagan population of Rome observed a “Valentine’s Day” on the eve of February 14th under a different name “Love feast” dedicated to the Goddess of love.

According to research, during this season, names of willing young ladies were put in a box and well shaken up, so that each young man could draw out one at random and the lady remain a companion while the feast lasted.

It was again stated that Constantine the great emperor accepted orthodox Christianity and was encouraged to break his pagan past and also to forgo what was considered the pagan festival. But to get the Roman populace to cease observing this feast seemed impossible.

He then decided to keep the feast but by another name and for another purpose. The church in deciding on giving it an acceptable name went back to the third century where a certain Presbyter name Saint Valentine. He married couples secretly against the order of emperor Claudius II who called for him to be beheaded in AD 270.

To honour this presbyter, it was then decided to name the feast after him, it was then that Pope Gelasius I in the year AD 496 Christianized the festival and renamed it “Saint Valentine’s Day”.