14/02/2009 Today is St. Valentine's Day, known more usually as Valentine's Day. This year this day is mired in controversy. There are groups like the Sri Ram Sene of Pramod Muthalik who do not like the Indian youth to celebrate this day with their loved ones. And there are many conservative people who support their views. I cannot understand what all this fuss is about. Cannot the youngsters and also the grownups send greetings to their loved ones or give some presents like chocolate and roses? This is just about closed minds, which will never open out to the world.
Many of you may not know who was St. Valentine and why is this day dedicated to lovers.
St. Valentine is supposed to have been martyred in AD 269 in Rome. While his history is unclear, he is believed to have existed as archaeologists have unearthed a church dedicated to someone of that name. One theory is that he was a priest in Rome who continued to marry Christian couples in defiance of the law of that time. St. Valentine passed a note to his jailer's daughter, whose eyesight he had supposed to have cured. The note had no romantic content, but it is from this that the tradition of sending notes of appreciation is supposed to have begun. On the eve of his execution St. Valentine sent a note to his jailer's daughter: "From Your Valentine".
2 comments:
Thanks for the correct version of St. Valentine's Day. We had heard a lot of other stories and had formed the impression that Valentine was some one like Casanova!
How touching this story is!
St. Valentine was a kind person. I cannot find anything bad about observing his day, as it is happening in India this year. Anyone can send a message of love to some loved one.
This year in California, Valetine's Day is a low-key affair due to the financial crisis. Hope we will see better times next year.
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