In the course of a converstion with a friend of mine, Valentine’s Day came up. We both, along with others I know, have the same opinion. It is a made up holiday simply to provide corporations with yet another avenue with which to make billions of dollars. As if they need it.
Now, I realize that there are others out there that would disagree with me. So, I would like to provide some history regarding the holiday.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emporer Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men — his potential crop of soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree , defied Claudius and continued to perfom marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered he be put to death.
So, as we can see in the above paraphrasing, of one legend, St. Valentine was a criminal who defied the law and did what he wanted anyway. Just because he had certain followers doesn’t make it right. Isn’t this behavior that is generally deemed unacceptable?
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a Bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third, except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on the 14th of February.
Yes, let’s dedicate an entire day, every year, that we celebrate the death of three Saints. All whose histories are shady, and which no one really knows anything about. Makes sense to me.
According to another legend, Valentine actually sent the first “valentine greeting’ himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl — who may have been his jailer’s daughter — who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed “From your Valentine”. An expression still used today.
Hmmm…… So. We’re going to use an expression from an “alleged” letter written by a criminal who supposedly fell in love with his jailer’s daughter.
Let’s define alleged, shall we?
According to Webster’s Dictionary alleged is defined as:
- Asserted to be true or to exist
- Questionably true or of a specific kind
- Accused but not proven or convicted
So, as you can see, all of the definitionns state that it means, not proven, questionably true, asserted to be true. None of which state that it IS true. So, it is not known for surethat this letter even existed.
What I cannot comprehend, is that the masses, and this is worldwide, flockk together every year on the 14th of February to buy each other flowers, chocolates, and expensive gifts to celebrate the death of a criminal with an expression he allegedly used.
Why not just take a poll on Death Row and put those expressions on little candy hearts? At least there would be accurate documentaion and the question of whether or not it was fact would not be an issue.
If this “holiday” remains a yearly thing, I feel like they should make the “valentine’s” bears in orange jumpsuits or maybe the traditional black and white stripped suits with a ball and chain around their leg.
That at least, would be more accurate.
To me however, February 14th is just another day of the week.
Vehement Ramblings from a Chaotic Mistress 