The mystery uncovered

So today is one of the statisticcally most celebrated days. Most of us do not even know what we are celebrating except for common believe, we have no clue whatsoever, what it really means, that it is a day of lovers. Every one who considers themself a lover is seen on this day worldwide, showing love to people close to their heart today. Most lovers go out on romantic dates, some receive romantic gift hampers and flower bouquets mainly roses. Red and black are normaly the order of the day on such a time and precisely so, the whole month of February. This year as the excitement of the month started brewing again, and as I observed how commercially cashing in the month is to most business people, with sales being observed from almost every retail shop, but cards & gift shops, perfume shops, jewellery shops and candyshops being top of the favourites of the month, I just thought to my self why not look deep into the origin of this day and why it seems so significant to many, yet very much one of the most controversial days, in view of the varied perceptions centred around it. This led me to an intresting read around the internet and social networks. It is funny how many perceptions there are to this day and my favourite from my read today is this little explanation below. I don know much, this may not be true, but it sounded convinsing and made some sense to me.

The History of Saint Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia.

The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate. However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II Rome was involved in many bloody and unpopular campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. The good Saint Valentine was a priest at Rome in the days of Claudius II. He and Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples, and for this kind deed Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. He suffered martyrdom on the 14th day of February, about the year 270. At that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god. On these occasions, amidst a variety of pagan ceremonies, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed.

The pastors of the early Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feaSt. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way.

Source: http://www.pictureframes.co.uk/pages/saint_valentine.htm

With the history done with follows a read so dear to my life and heart. I have treasured it since laying eyes on it. 1 Corinthians 13 - ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  ⁸ Love never fails.   

Yes I am of a Christian stand, and though I have heard from fellow Christian bethren that it is not good to celebrate valentine, I have a different view. I may have always been of the orientation that never celebrated the day, well that is only because to me it held no significance as I prefered to celebrate my love for whomever I choose to love any day and really was never a fan of the comotion and traffic of the day. I however do not think that this day is in any sense ungodly. I think any day that the Lord has made is good and perfect as long as it is centred around him and honours him. He is the author of love and if peope use this day to honour love and give him glory, Good and perfect as far as am concerned. I however do not concurr with the abuse of the day and using it to manipulate any individual dishonestly, or pretend things that are not. I preach and root for genuine love and intimacy within the rightful boundaries and without judgement to anyone. 

So for everyone choosing to celebrate this day for whatever reasons, I wish you well and speak prosperity in your wonderful day, for those who choose to reserve from the day, let us not find ourselves judgemental and rather remain blameless and enjoy the day too, however we may not like anything about it. 

In honour of this day I wish to share some pictures from a masquarade I attended at work a couple of weeks back, that I kind of happened to have had my early valentine celebration on :-) Happy viewing! 

Any empty seat resembling my missing valentine.. all I can is reminice the good days

Any day can be valentine- a random personalised choco banner he made me about 4 years ago

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moments I miss..feeling his heartbeat

Missing him has become but a norm and comes by everyday

Happy valentine my love. This is our 1st valentine since we got hitched

Someone back that side of the earth please remind him for me how much he is loved and cherished.