Mohammad Shahidul Islam
Every year February 14th is celebrated as a day for love, exchange of gifts, promises of eternal passion, and more. True lovers pen poems inspired by their love and admiration for the women of their dreams while others just go to shops and buy cards with verses. Students of universities enjoy the whole day, make fun and take lunch with special ones.
The history of Valentine’s Day is interesting. In ancient times, Romans celebrated in February a festival to honour the god of fertility who provided them with progeny and ensured a god crop. In Rome February 15th was celebrated as the feast of Lupercalla and Feb 14th as a holiday in honor of Juno the queen of Roman gods and goddesses. On the eve of Lupercalla a glass jar was filled to the brim with chits on which were penned the names of all eligible girls. Then young men would draw a chit each from the jar and the girl whose name was on the chit would be his partner for the celebration. This was a method by which ancient Romans introduced eligible boys and girls to one another.
Much later in the 3rd century BC when Emperor Claudius II ruled Rome there lived a priest called Valentine. And when Claudius passed a decree that young men in his empire were not to marry, Valentine defied him and used to consecrate marriages secretly. He was sentenced to death and thrown into prison. While awaiting his execution Valentine penned a letter to his love and signed it “from your Valentine.” After his death Valentine became a martyr and saint and was popularly known as St Valentine.
By the 15th Century, St. Valentines Day was celebrated with lovers singing their romantic feelings to their chosen ones. People often wrote sonnets and other love poems to give to their romantic interests.
By the end of this century, these sonnets were written on ornate paper and became the first valentines. In fact, the oldest surviving valentine was written in 1415 from the Duke of Orleans to his wife. It was written while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and is on display in the British Museum in London.
Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated as a holiday honouring romance. Boys and girls no longer pick names out of a jar, but instead exchange valentines with token messages of affection.
In this country all mobile operators will do the brisk business through passing valentine SMS from boys and girls. Radio and satellite TV channels air love songs and romantic operas and dramas. Magazines and dailies arrange special write-ups, poems and stories. Boys and girls make the day of fiesta.
Valentine’s Day is a chance to honour the history of romance and affection.
Courtesy: www.weeklyholiday.net
