Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many international locations on a large scale. However, the history of the starting place of Valentine’s Day is shrouded with mystery. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three Saints named Valentine. According to an opinion, this day is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of St. Valentine; others opine that to Christianise an historical festival, Lupercalia, the Christian Church may also have brought ‘St. Valentine’s Feast Day’ in mid-February. In the fifth century, Pope Gelasius announced 14 February as ‘St. Valentine’s Day. However, the association of “love” with this day occurred after quite some time. During the middle a while it used to be believed in England and France that 14 February used to be the starting of the mating season for birds. This can also be how this day acquired related with love.
St. Valentine’s Day is the world’s “holiday of love.” Since the Bible states that God is love (I John 4:8, 16), Does He approve of the social gathering of this day? Does He favour His people—true Christians—partaking of the sweet and cards, or any customs related with this day?
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When God says He needs you to live existence abundantly (John 10:10), does that encompass celebrating a festive, reputedly innocent excursion like Valentine’s Day? The God who offers us everything—life, food, drink, the capability to suppose for ourselves, etc.—surely approves of St. Valentine’s Day, the excursion for fanatics to trade gifts—right?
Valentine’s Past (Beliefs)
Like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, New Year’s, and other occasions of this world, St. Valentine’s Day is another endeavour to ‘whitewash’ debased traditions and observances of agnostic divine beings and symbols by ‘Christianizing’ them.
As innocent and harmless as St. Valentine’s Day may appear, its traditions and customs originate from two of the foremost sexually perverted pagan festivals of ancient history:
Lupercalia and therefore the fete day of Juno Februata.
Celebrated on February 15, Lupercalia (because it’s the “festival of sexual license”) was held by the traditional Romans in honor of Lupercus, god of fertility and husbandry, protector of herds and crops, and a mighty hunter—especially of wolves. The Romans believed that Lupercus would protect Rome from roving bands of wolves, which devoured livestock and other people.Festival of Lupercalia
Assisted by Vestal Virgins, the Luperci (male priests) conducted purification rites by sacrificing goats and a dog within the Lupercal cave on Palatine Hill, where the Romans believed the twins Romulus and Remus had been sheltered and nursed by a she-wolf before they eventually founded Rome. Clothed in loincloths made up of sacrificed goats and smeared in their blood, the
Luperci would run about Rome, striking women with februa, thongs made up of skins of the sacrificed goats. The Luperci believed that the floggings purified women and guaranteed their fertility and simple childbirth. February derives from februa or “means of purification.”
To the Romans, February was also sacred to Juno Februata, the goddess of febris (“fever”) of affection, and of girls and marriage. On Valentine Day, billets (small pieces of paper, each of which had the name of a teen-aged girl written on it) were put into a container. Teen-aged boys would then choose one billet randomly. The boy and therefore the girl whose name was drawn would become a “couple,” joining in erotic games at feasts and parties celebrated throughout Rome. After the festival, they might remain sexual partners for the remainder of the year. This tradition was observed within the Roman Empire for hundreds of years.
Valentine’s Day: Spiritual Impact and Perspective
- The mysterious records of Valentine’s Day indicate that this day is associated with Christianity. Although, it has no unique religious or spiritual meaning as per Christianity as well.
- In Hinduism, all the occasions have deep spiritual meaning; for example, in the course of the fairs like Ganesh Chaturthi, Shreekrushna Janmashtami, Gurupaurnima, Navratri, etc. the Divine precept of that respective Deity reaches the floor of the Earth which benefits all human beings. As in contrast to it, a number of” Days” like Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. have neither any religious context nor their respective precept reaches Earth on those respective day. Therefore, human beings do not reap any spiritual advantage on these days.
- In the length leading up to Valentine’s day, merchants expand prices of items such as gifts, chocolates, flowers, etc. to increase their income even more. Also, humans indulge in sex due to the influence of this day.
- People express their love closer to their girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, etc. on Valentine’s Day. By doing so one may additionally sense that expressing love on this day out of 365 days is enough and take the relationship for granted otherwise. This can result in the possible downfall of the relationship.
Some religions don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day
Valentine's Day is an auspicious day on which human beings express their love for one another; however, some religions abstain from celebrating Feb. 14 as a holiday due to the fact the beginning of the holiday is not of their faith. While Christians rejoice this holiday, different religions feel the need to shun it.
'With shops lined wall-to-wall with flowers, gifts, heart-shaped balloons, and candy, the temptation to take part is challenging to resist,' said senior nursing major Mary Sellers from Carencro. History plays a major position in religions.
The history of Valentine's Day is virtually a motive in which some religions select to forget Valentine's Day as an actual holiday.
Valentine's Day, which is definitely St. Valentine's Day, is of Christian tradition. Two saints who were imprisoned and killed for being Christians in the 3rd century attributed to the naming of the holiday.
While imprisoned, one of the saints wrote a letter to his jailer's daughter who often visited him. He signed the note 'Your Valentine.' It was 'Christianized' in honor of the martyrdom of St. Valentine in A.D. 270, who, for the duration of medieval times, used to be known for uniting enthusiasts under stringent conditions.
Although origins of Valentine's Day have nothing to do with Judaism, St. Valentine exemplified two sentiments with which Judaism would never quibble, love for God and others.
The religion of Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, based totally on ideas and ethics embodied in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). Valentine's Day is a sensitive problem in Jewish eyes due to the fact it goes back to the mid-fourteenth century, thousands and thousands of Europeans lost their lives due to plague; rumours had been rampant that Jews dreamed up this disease to contaminate Christians. In Strasbourg, a mob used this as an excuse in 1349 to abolish neighborhood Jews to whom they owed massive debts. About 2,000 Jews were rounded up and burned to death on a platform in the local Jewish cemetery.
Therefore, the faith does not go in opposition to the party due to the meaning of the holiday, but the historical activities linked to it drew the Jewish away from acknowledging it as a real holiday.
While Valentine's day is a time to exhibit affection and love to others, some religions, such as the Islamic faith, experience that love and affection should be proven generally and not solely on specific days. Islam's view is clear on the subject of the celebration of non-Muslim holidays.
[image: ]The overwhelming majority of pupils agree that Valentine's Day falls into the identical class as Christmas and Halloween, and is regarded an innovation, or bid'ah, with no Islamic significance. The excursion has no felony basis in the Islamic Sharia law; therefore, it is not frequent into their faith. Islam discourages the participation in the vacation whilst Buddhism only offers greater significance to different holidays.
Although Buddhism does not blatantly dispirit its human beings from celebrating Valentine's Day, Hinduism, India's foremost religion does. Hinduism is practiced by using about 80 percentage of India's populace and is the biggest religion in Asia.
Traditional Hindu way of life discourages public displays of affection between the sexes, together with handholding, which Valentine's Day encourages.
Valentine's Day is additionally resented by using some as a Christian and western influence.
'Although the excursion does have a religious record in Christianity, it is in modern times just an excursion to show affection and have fun,' said Ferrin Francis, a junior child and family studies essential from Rayne.
However, Hindu Valentine Protestors beg to differ. In India, Hindu followers protest in opposition to Valentine's Day celebrations annually.
'Religions that don't celebrate Valentine's Day ought to nonetheless enable their very young kids to participate, it is an harmless holiday, specifically when they're young,' said Brittney Brumfield, a junior psychology foremost from Bogalusa.
Although many religions pick out no longer to take section in this holiday, it has nevertheless proved to be one of the most annually celebrated holidays. Valentine's Day has regularly emerged as a much-commercialized holiday where gifts are expected almost as tons as at some stage in the Christmas season.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion cards are sent every Valentine's Day, making it the 2nd largest card-sending excursion of the year. Although some religions are hostilities to stop Valentine's Day celebrations, get your cards, gifts, or flora equipped due to the fact Valentine's Day is right here to stay.
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