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Unbounding the Roses: The True Colours of Valentine

Is the colour of Valentine truly red? Nay, maybe it’s black. What are the roses of the day made of? Love, infatuation, or fornication? We shall soon get to know or maybe we already know.

A lot of people from every nook and cranny of the world seem to have taken this February 14 as a responsibility. Spouses and lovers have now included it in their life achievements and to-do lists. It has become a thing of competition and show-off. But philosophically before religiously, the need to fine-tune and judge well whatever it is that one wants to imbibe in one’s life cannot be underrated. How did a particular practice originate, what does it aim at and are its final outcomes worth it? These are some of the questions persons of virtue ought to ask themselves. Being on the bandwagon is not the characteristic of intellectuals; especially Muslims.

Therefore, with Valentine in the picture, let’s clear our sight on a contemporary matter. First of all, Valentine was not initially a celebration of love as we all see it today. It somehow metamorphosed into what we all have turned into a formal festival.

Some account narrated that it was a Lupercalia festival celebrated Feb. 15. There, they celebrated the coming of spring in the Roman calendar several rites connected to fertility, and the pairing off of women with men by lottery. At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius I forbade the celebration of Lupercalia which is sometimes attributed to replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day.

Another account states that it was about a Christian martyr. The Early Christian church had at least two saints named Valentine; one, who secretly married young couples, was executed on Feb. 14, about 269 A.D. However, according to research, there were several Christian martyrs named Valentine. It was said that it could have been a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by the emperor Claudius II Gothics for sending a letter to a jailer's daughter. Other accounts hold that it was St. Valentine of Terni, a bishop. There is also the confusion that the two saints might be the same person. Another common legend states that St. Valentine defied the emperor’s orders and secretly married couples to spare their husbands from war. It is for this reason that his feast day is associated with love.

Although, all of this story might somehow be related to love somehow, but the events were clearly not made to appreciate or show affection for any love. In fact, Valentine’s Day did not come to be celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century after any of the dates of the said incidents.

Furthermore, the so-called celebration of love– Valentine, has caused on earth more harm than good. As much as spouses may grow a bond by this and family shows love, there are many ladies and gentlemen both young and immature in tertiary institutions, colleges, elementary and secondary schools, and all over the society who have lost their dignity. They’ve opened up to adultery and fornication by the vice of Valentine. They have rendered their faith porous. Truly, some may argue that the century is that of liberalism. Everyone is free to do whatever befits them without questions or judgment even if it depicts moral decadence. But, it is not rocket science that this concept is not worth it.

More importantly, as Muslims, Allah’s words and His messengers are the defining factors of our lives. Any festivals and festivities that do not reckon with our codes of conduct should be neglected. They are forbidden and they are never worth it. No account states that the prophet who lived a perfect life and brought the perfect message celebrated his love in such ways as choosing one day and wanting to have the excessive fun he would otherwise not have daily. Celebrations are not meant to be an excuse to defy the injunctions of the religion.

Moreso, owing to the origin of the Valentine celebration, and the clearance of its fabricated and innovative nature that cannot be traced to any divine practice or enjoinment, we realize that it is not meant for us. The prophet said, “Whoever imitates some group of people in their doings, verily, he has become one of them.”

Some might also claim that it is not a big deal as long it is for a good cause as it promotes love and affection. The response to that is simple: the love of our Creator is supreme, and whosoever loves his Creator will not defy His injunctions.

Therefore, there are many other ways to show love to our dear ones without necessarily jumping on the bandwagon of others who might misguide us. Every day was for showing of love in the prophet’s household, especially during the two Eids. We don’t have to wait for Valentine's razzmatazz before our spouses, family, and friends would know how much we love them.