St. Valentine's Day

[mahsaak]

salam mersi donsaeed joon vala man chi begam, kare khasi nadaram , bade sherkat mikham beram khoone ye khorde be khoone beresam

[donsaeid]

delam kabab vazeiti... kash ye private jet dashtam hameye bachehaye iranie bikare inrozo jam mikardam bahamdige safa mikardim... looool

man shabkaram... emsal valentine mesle x-mas va newyear sare karam...


rasti bacheha kojan? maloos, khanoomi?

[mahsaak]

nemidoonam vala maloos dirooz bood, khanoomi ke gheibe,
vaghean kash ke intor bood, manam koli halam gereftast, baz ham emrooz tanham

[donsaeid]

intori nago mahsa... inshallah doshmanet tanha bemione...

[mahsaak]

mersi saeed jooon, valentin nemikhay beri pishe eshghet?!!!!

[mahsaak]

[Rasputin]

[jjbb]

delam kabab vazeiti... kash ye private jet dashtam hameye bachehaye iranie bikare inrozo jam mikardam bahamdige safa mikardim... looool

man shabkaram... emsal valentine mesle x-mas va newyear sare karam...


rasti bacheha kojan? maloos, khanoomi?

vaghti pool dar shodi inkaro bekoon.........

[Rasputin]

Saint Valentine's Day

The popular customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day undoubtedly had their origin in a conventional belief generally received in England and France during the Middle Ages, that on 14 February, i.e. half way through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair. Thus in Chaucer's Parliament of Foules we read:

For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.

For this reason the day was looked upon as specially consecrated to lovers and as a proper occasion for writing love letters and sending lovers' tokens. Both the French and English literatures of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries contain allusions to the practice. Perhaps the earliest to be found is in the 34th and 35th Ballades of the bilingual poet, John Gower, written in French; but Lydgate and Clauvowe supply other examples. Those who chose each other under these circumstances seem to have been called by each other their Valentines. In the Paston Letters, Dame Elizabeth Brews writes thus about a match she hopes to make for her daughter (we modernize the spelling), addressing the favoured suitor:


And, cousin mine, upon Monday is Saint Valentine's Day and every bird chooses himself a mate, and if it like you to come on Thursday night, and make provision that you may abide till then, I trust to God that ye shall speak to my husband and I shall pray that we may bring the matter to a conclusion.
Shortly after the young lady herself wrote a letter to the same man addressing it "Unto my rightwell beloved Valentine, John Paston Esquire". The custom of choosing and sending valentines has of late years fallen into comparative desuetude.

[Rasputin]

Cupids. Candy. Flowers. Lacy hearts. Strange, isn't it, that the best known Christian saint on the secular calendar -- a holiday devoted to romantic love -- is a martyr for the Christian faith?

Saint Valentine did "die of love", to be sure -- but not of the romantic sort! Strange, also, considering its enormous popularity, that this saint's feast no longer appears on the Church's calendar. (Officially, February 14 marks the feast of Sts. Cyril and Methodias, 9th century missionaries to the Slavs.)

How did the "Saint" dissappear from Valentine's Day? Can we "re-Christianize" the celebration of this popular holiday? Who is Saint Valentine, anyway?

There are at three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, mentioned in the early martyrologies for the date of February 14th.

One is described as a priest in Rome, another a bishop (of Interamna, the modern Terni). Both apparently were martyred in the second half of the third century and buried at different places on the Flaminian Way outside of Rome. The third St. Valentine was martyred in Africa with a number of companions.

Almost nothing is known about any of these early Christian men -- except that they died for the love of Christ!

The popular customs connected with Saint Valentine's Day's probably originated in medieval Europe. At that time, when "courtly love" was in flower, there was a common belief in England and France that on February 14th, precisely half way through the second month of the year, the birds began to pair.
Thus, we read in the 14th century English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer's "Parliament of Foules":

For this was on Seynt Valentynes' day
Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate. (Chaucer's original spelling).

This belief about "love-birds" is probably the reason Saint Valentine's feast day came to be seen as specially consecrated to lovers, and as a proper occasion for writing love letters and sending lover's tokens. The literature of the fourteenth and fifteenth-century in both France and England contain allusions to this practice.

This association with romantic love, along with the medieval revival of interest in classic literature, no doubt led to the "paganizing" of this martyr's feast, so that the Roman god, Cupid (the counterpart of Eros in Greek mythology), supplanted the saint in the celebration of the feast. In Roman mythology, Cupid, the son of Venus, was a winged immortal who had the mischievous habit of shooting invisible arrows into the hearts of mortals, which inflamed them with blind and helpless passion -- for the next person they might see.

The Golden Legend, a medieval book of stories about saints, says that Valentine, a priest, was imprisioned by the emperor Claudius II for leading people to Christ. While Valentine was being interrogated by a Roman officer, the priest preached Christ as the "one and only Light". The officer, who had a blind daughter, challenged Valentine to pray to Christ for her cure. The girl was cured, and the entire family were converted to Christianity.
According to legend, while awaiting execution, he wrote notes of instruction, affection and encouragement to the Christian community in Rome, which were secretly delivered by a boy who visited him in prison.

It is ironic that a Roman Christian who died defending the faith is now chiefly associated with a pagan god, Cupid!

[Rasputin]

Christianizing" Valentine's Day:
Family prayers and activities

On Saint Valentine's Day, we Christians have an opportunity for some real "inculturation" -- that is, planting seeds of Christ's truth into the culture in which we live.

When we remember that the heart of Saint Valentine was, like other Christian martyrs, "pierced" by the love of Our Lord, and he shed his blood for this, it seems appropriate that the red heart is a symbol for this powerful love. We think about the power of the love of God - our love for Him and His for us - to inspire our love for others. It is this kind of love that gives heart (or "en-courages") to faithful Christians to accomplish deeds of extraordinary courage - even unto death - to bring the truth of faith to others. We are reminded, too, that suffering that often accompanies genuine love.

In our Catholic families, we can focus our thoughts, this day, not only in expressing our love for our friends and families (and yes, sweethearts) by gifts and loving greetings; but also in prayer and meditation on Scripture.



A Prayer for Saint Valentine's Day



The following prayer is adapted from a collect (prayer) for feasts of martyrs.

Most Gracious Heavenly Father, You gave Saint Valentine the courage to witness to the gospel of Christ, even to the point of giving his life for it. Help us to endure all suffering for love of you, and to seek you with all our hearts; for you alone are the source of life and love. Grant that we may have the courage and love to be strong witnesses of your truth to our friends and family and to the whole world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.



There are many passages of the Bible that reflect God's love. One of the best known of these is probably John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

During family prayers, or at dinner time, older children could read aloud the "love chapter" of Saint Paul's first letter to the Christian Church in Corinth, I Corinthians 13.

This would be a good time, too, to explain the three kinds of "love" in the Scripture (in English there is only one word for these three separate kinds of love, but Greek has a word for each one).

Agape (a-gah-pay) - selfless love for others and for God
Philio (fee-lee-o) - brotherly love
Eros (air-ross) - romantic or sexual love

[Rasputin]

Valentine's Day or April Fool's? Vienna gays unsure
Reuters
Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Gay couples in Vienna were unsure whether Tuesday was St. Valentine's Day or April Fool's after state radio announced the Catholic Church would bless their unions and an Austrian priest had to deny any such plan.

ORF radio reported at the weekend that a priest at St. Stephen's Cathedral, in the heart of the Austrian capital, would say a Mass on the traditional day for lovers and bless all couples, married or not, straight or gay.

[Rasputin]

I Part

Valentine's Day, celebrated on February 14th, is considered as an especial day to whisper and to celebrate love and friendship around the world. In North America, Valentine's Day is the second most popular time to send cards and gifts; Christmas is the first. In Japan, only girls give gifts on Valentine's Day; the boys reciprocate the gifts on White Day which is on March 14th. Incidentally, in Turin (where the 2006 Winter Olympic Games are currently being held), Italian couples usually announce their engagements on Valentine's Day. In this article, the cultural background on Valentine's Day including its definition, history, customs and traditions, and how it has been emerged in Iran are presented and discussed.

DEFINITION: The New Lexicon Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary defines valentine as a sweetheart chosen on Valentine's Day, the day when birds were believed to begin mating. According to Cambridge Dictionaries Online, valentine means, someone you love or would like to have a romantic relationship with, and you send a valentine card (or gift) to him or her. And the message on the card (or gift) said "Be my Valentine". Encyclopedia Britannica refers to the Valentine's Day as a day when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. And on the basis of Wikipedia Online Dictionary, Valentine's Day is the traditional day on which lovers in certain cultures let each other know about their love.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: Valentine's Day is thought to be derived from the pagan festival of Lupercalia. (Pagan beliefs are the religious beliefs that do not belong to any of the main religions of the world). In Roman mythology Lupercalia used to honor Lupercus, which is also a name for Faunus. Lupercus was the god of shepherds, and it is identified with the Greek god of Pan, the god of the pastures managed for sheep and goats. That festival used to be celebrated on the anniversary of the founding of the temple of Lupercalia in February 15. The Roman god of Lupercus was thought to protect shepherds and their sheep and goats from the wolves and bring people luck to bear children. During the festival of Lupercalia, the names of Roman girls were put into a large vase and a Roman boy would pick a girl's name from the vase. The boys and girls then paired up for the celebration of the day. It is also documented that during the festival of Lupercalia, the Roman priests sacrificed sheep and goats to the god, and after drinking wine, they ran through the streets of Rome holding pieces of hides above their heads, touching anyone they met. Young women especially would come forth voluntarily for the occasion, in the belief that being so touched would render them fruitful and bring easy childbirth.

[Rasputin]

II Part

Later, instead of February 15th a day earlier, February 14, became a Christian celebration and was celebrated as the Feast of St. Valentine's. Though Roman Catholics have eight different saints called Valentine, the most famous Valentine was a priest who lived in Rome in 270 AD. That Valentine was very popular because of his love and kindness. Young couples also loved him because he secretly performed marriages, an act forbidden by Claudius II, the Roman Emperor at the time. Though Valentine was jailed for his beliefs, the people who adored him threw flowers and messages into his cell. While in jail, Valentine fell in love with Julia, the daughter of the prison warden. On February 14, 270 AD, Valentine was executed. About two centuries later, in 486 AD, February 14th was declared as St. Valentine's Feast Day in honor of that priest.
Valentine's Day spread to other parts of Europe as the centuries went by, and eventually even made it around the world as a day to celebrate love. By around 1000 AD, in many parts of the world young men and women celebrated Valentine's Day by strolling through gardens listening to music, singing songs, and reciting poetry. In 1400 AD and onward, it was the custom for young men to send their sweethearts a gift on Valentine's Day. Often they were gifts of flowers or birds, though the rich people often gave gifts of expensive jewelries. Still later it became custom for children to go house to house on the morning of February 14th to sing and beg for coins or treats.



VALENTINE'S DAY IN VARIOUS CULTURES: In North America, Valentine's Day is now most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of [valentines]. Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes has largely given way to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards. On the basis of the estimates by Greeting Card Association, world-wide, approximately one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association also estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

In the US and the UK, to be awakened by a kiss on Valentine's Day is considered very good luck, and many people make their family wake up with a kiss on February 14th. In the UK some people host a Valentine Tea for their friends.

In Japan and Korea, Valentine's Day has emerged as a day on which women give candy to men they like. Rather than being voluntary however, this has become for many women, especially those who work in offices, an obligation, and they give chocolates to all their male co-workers, sometimes at significant personal expense. This chocolate is known as giri-choco, in Japanese, from the words giri (obligation) and choco, a common short version of chokoreto, meaning chocolate. This is opposed to honmei-choco, which is given to a person that someone loves or has a strong relationship with. In Japan there is also a reciprocal day called White Day on March 14th. On this day, men are supposed to return the favor by giving something to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day. Many men, however, give only to their girlfriends. Originally the return gift was supposed to be white chocolate or marshmallows, hence the name: White Day. However, more recently men have taken the name to a different meaning, thus lingerie is quite a common gift.

In Korea, there is also an additional Black Day, held on April 14, when males who did not receive anything for Valentine's Day gather together to eat Jajangmyun, the Chinese-style noodles in black sauce.

In Brazil, there is no such day as Valentine's Day. Instead, June 12 is celebrated as the Day of the Enamored or Boyfriend's/Girlfriend's Day. On this day, boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, exchange gifts (lingerie, chocolates, and more), cards and usually a flower bouquet. This day is chosen probably because it is one day before the Saint Anthony's day, there known as the marriage saint, when many single women perform popular rituals in order to find a nice husband.

[Rasputin]

III Part

In Colombia, Love and Friendship Day is celebrated on the third Friday and Saturday in September, because of commercial issues. In this country, having the Amigo Secreto or a Secret Friend is quite popular. It is a tradition which consists in raffling the recipient of a gift, without him/her knowing who gave it.

VALENTINE'S DAY IN IRAN:

In Iranian Culture, Valentine's Day is finding its place in the hearts of many Iranians particularly during the recent years. It is tactfully celebrated by majority of Iranians despite the disapproval of this especial event by the Mullahs and pro-Mullahs of the so-called Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Undoubtedly, Iranians are hungry for joy and pleasure. In Iran, the Day to Whisper Love, the Valentine's Day, arrives exactly three day after the Hateful Day of February 11, which is known as Mullah's National Day (MND). Reliable evidences indicate that as the number of people participating in the demonstrations on MND is reducing annually, the number of Iranians who are celebrating the Valentine's Day is dramatically rising, and it has been a devastating shock for the Mullahs. As Farnaz Fassihi reported in some previous issues of the Wall Street Journal, even a Mullah called on IRI to figure out a proper alternative to the Valentine's Day, and he suggested an [Islamic Valentine] that would mark the1400 years ago wedding of Imam Ali to Hazrate-Fatima!



Some people argue that after the so-called revolution, the Mullahs forced women to use Veil or Hejab (in Persian: Chaador) as an Islamic symbol for decreasing contact or connection between males and females and so to control the sexual energy of the nation! Young people of Iran also argue that celebrating love is a part of Persian Culture and Tradition, dating back thousands of years and has been taken and stolen from Iranians when the Mullahs took power. Classic Persian Poetries composed by Hafez, Vahshi-Bafghi, Omar Khayyam, Nezami-Ganjavi, and many others, are full of the poems on love. As an example, here is the famous poem about love written by Nezami-Ganjavi:

Heaven has no other prayer niche but love.
Without love the world is worthless.
Become the slave to love, this is the course.
This is the path for all pious people.

The same argument is also true in Modern Persian Poetry. In a Farsi Poem on the Whisper of Love], this author calls upon his sweetheart and sends her various lovely messages.

Presently, many Iranians manage to celebrate not only Valentine's Day but other joyful traditions disregarding the limitations and restrictions imposed by the oppressor Mullahs and pro-Mullahs. Every moment of joy and pleasure is a spit in the face and eyes of those oppressors. Every line of poems by Hafez, Nezami, and others will be a laugh at the beard of those Mullahs and pro-Mullahs.


Wave your flag and root for freedom, joy, and love.

Happy Valentine's Day!