There are many reports about the origin of Valentine’s Day. Some believe that it started with Saint Valentine, who was martyred. Valentine was a priest who lived in third century Rome and when the emperor declared that single men made better soldiers than those who had wives and families, he decided to outlaw marriage.
Valentine disagreed with this decree and facilitated various weddings in secret. When his actions were eventually discovered, he was put to death.
Another tale suggests that Valentine was killed because he helped Christians escape Roman prisons where people were tortured and suffering loomed. From what the story says, Valentine became imprisoned and sent the first ‘valentine’ after he fell in love with a young girl, possibly the prison guard’s daughter, who would often visit him. He signed off the last letter ‘from your Valentine’ before he died and that was that. There may still be a couple of legends surrounding Valentine’s Day, but most emphasise the point that it is a special day to celebrate love. However, has this trend become overrated?
Riku Kauapirura said yes. “Most of us just celebrate it without knowing who ‘Valentine’ is or the meaning of it. I myself don’t even know what it is at this age but I’ve been celebrating it almost all my life. So it’s definitely overrated.” J-Black said “it depends on how the girls feel about it”.
A contributor going by the name of Makubela said “Valentine’s Day – the popular festival of love and romance traces its origin to an ancient Roman festival and has not been created by card companies as some people believe it to be. There are various legends associated with the festival along with the belief that birds began to mate from this day. Popularity of the Valentine’s Day festival stems from the combined effects of all these legends, beliefs and of course the wish to glorify the unparalleled feeling of love.”
In another ancient tradition, it states that Romans celebrated the ‘pagan’ feast of Lupercalia from 13 to 15 February, where they would sacrifice goats and dogs and whip women with the hides of the animals they had just killed. Women would line up and be beaten, as there was a belief it would make them fertile. Also, a lottery was included in this festival where men would draw the names of women and partnered up with them for the duration of the event.
“I don’t believe in that day. I think it’s overrated, to be honest,” Mbaninga Kandonga said. Meundju Hijarnguru agreed. “I don’t need to show someone my love for them on that specific day. So much is expected.”
Faila Juliana Alexandre also weighed in on Valentine’s Day. “It’s overrated, of course, but yet again, it’s the most respected and thoughtful day. Couples think it’s a day of love, but I believe love should be shown every day, even on Sunday.”
“I believe Valentine’s Day is overrated. The spirit of love should be a kind of mesmerising influence on a daily basis, not on a certain day,” Iambenji Shindumbu said.
Concerning the tradition of cards, some tales say that famed writer William Shakespeare had much to do with it. According to some reports, Shakespeare romanticised Valentine’s Day and because it became so popular in Europe, handmade paper cards became a way of showing one’s love. As the world evolved into an industrial era, Hallmark began mass producing the cards in 1912 and haven’t looked back.
