February 14, Valentine's day, lovers day, everyone knows.
A day of love, gifts and kisses, everyone knows.
A time of romance and affection between lovers and loved ones, everyone knows.
But long long time ago, it was a time of horror, torture, and brutal animal slaughter, no one
knows.
It was a time of physical abuse, rape, and forced marriages, no one knows.
It was a time of Christian persecution and martyrdom, no one knows.
So, how did we get here?
Once upon a time, in ancient rome, a pagan feast was celebrated from the 13th to 15th
of February.
This was the feast of Lupercalia, the feast of love and fertility, but nothing about it
showed love and affection.
At the beginning of this festival, the single unmarried men of Rome, would gather, naked.
Each one would slaughter and sacrifice a goat and a dog, skin the dead animals, and cure
their hides into whips.
The unmarried women of Rome would be lined up and striped naked, for the men to whip
them till they tired.
It was believed this would increase the fertility of these women.
The names of these women would then be written in pieces of parchment paper, wood or stone,
and put in a lottery box.
Whichever woman the men drew out of the lottery box, was theirs to have carnal knowledge of,
throughout the festival.
If one or both end up falling in love, they would get married.
If neither of them falls for the other, they would appear in the next festival and matchmaking,
and the next, until a match is made.
To some, this brutal drunken festival was a delight, a time to look forward to, when
they get to find their match and choose their mate.
While to others, it was season to abhor, a time of shame, disgrace and forced relationships.
At the dawn and spread of Christianity, pope Gelasius 1, deemed this feast inappropriate
and unchristian, and the naked abusive aspect this feast gradually ceased.
They could still choose their mates on that day, but no more would there be public nakedness,
beatings, and rape.
As the years went by, Shakespeare and other famed authors popularized it as a day of romance,
goodwill and affection, a day for lovers and loved ones, its dark history, lost.
It's cruel acts, forgotten.
It's inflicted wounds, long faded.
After the advent of Christianity, the religion had spread widely, but it's embrace was slow
and gradual.
Once upon a time, in old Rome, when the pagans of Rome persecuted their christian brethren,
there was a man, a priest named st valentine.
St valentine devoted his life to ministering to persecuted christians, and spreading the
gospel.
He was a thorn in the flesh of the pagan emperor claudius ll, but as no crime could be held
against him, there was no condemning this man, until much later.
One day, the emperor declared that single men made the best soldiers and married men
made terrible soldiers.
The Romans were renowned for their power and battle prowess.
Intending to keep it that way, the emperor banned marriage thenceforth.
No more would the young men of Rome marry, their loyalty would be to their country alone.
St valentine deemed this law cruel and unfair, and would neither heed nor adhere to such.
He continued to bless and conduct marriages, lovers would secretly go to him and be united
in holy matrimony.
St valentine had broken the law, according to emperor claudius ll he had contributed
in weakening the Roman military system, ripping the state of her best soldiers and talents.
The priest was arrested and sentenced to death on 14th of February 269.
But even while in prison, he continued to minister to persecuted christians.
Alas!
While counting down to the day of his sentence, st valentine fell in love with the jailer's
daughter, who had no sight, for she was born blind.
The day before his death, st valentine restored the sight of his love, the jailer's blind
daughter could finally see.
And on the day of his death, he sent her a love letter, a farewell message, signed, ''From
your valentine".
St valentine was executed on February 14th 269, and many years later, his martyrdom would
be acknowledged and commemorated by Pope Gelasius 1 and the Catholic Christians of the world.
Few years after the martyrdom of st valentine of Rome, in the year 273, a bishop of Terni
in central Italy, known as bishop valentine of Terni, was martyred on the same February
14th.
And more years later, another priest named valentine, was martyred in Africa, also on
February 14th.
Thus, in 496, the then Pope, Pope Gelasius 1, set the date February 14th, as not only
the day of the feast of Lupercalia, not only the day for lovers and loved ones, but also
a day in commemoration of the martyred St valentines.