St. Valentine’s Day a romantic diversion - ROSES AND THORNS by Alejandro R. Roces

Tomorrow is St Valentine’s Day, a holiday that has absolutely nothing to do with Saint Valentine whose feastday happens to fall on February 14. As a matter of fact, there are two Saint Valentines. One, a priest who resided in Rome during the 200’s and Claudius II had him beheaded for protecting persecuted Christians. Years later, Christians honored him by naming a gate in Rome Porto Valentin. His remains are buried in St. Praxeles Church in Rome. The other was a bishop of Terri, a place about 60 miles from Rome. For converting a Roman family to Christianity, he was beheaded about A.D. 273. It just so happened that their feastdays – February 14 – coincided with the Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival for young people that was celebrated by making young men and women choose partners by drawing names from a box.

This explains why Saint Valentine’s was not celebrated in the Philippines during the Spanish times. The Americans introduced it at the start of the last century but it had no popular appeal because its celebration consisted mainly of sending Valentine cards to one’s loved one. The words in the cards varied, but there were only two messages, either "Be My Valentine" or "You are my Valentine." It is a fact that even in the United States, Valentine’s Day did not become popular till the Civil War. By 1863, a magazine writer could say, "Indeed, with the exception of Christmas, there is no festival throughout the world which is invested with half the interest belonging to this cherished anniversary". To this day, Valentine’s Day has had no mass appeal in the Philippines. It has yet to be part of our fiesta tradition.

A few years ago, a business group met and decided that Valentine’s Day could be utilized as the occasion where business could recover from its post-Christmas slump. So today, many restaurants have a special Valentine’s menu. But as far as the masses are concerned, Valentine’s Day is an elitist celebration. It will be interesting to note the text messages that will mark this year’s Valentine celebration. You can be sure that it will take a political slant.

Catholic encyclopedias have no entry on St. Valentine’s Day. This poem by Jennie Betts Hartswick reflects how people objected to Saint Valentine’s taking over the role of Lupercus:

St. Valentine, though wide your fame,

You don’t deserve your pious name,

And this the reason of my plaint–

Your conduct misbefits a saint.

From youth-time up to middle age

I’ve catered for your patronage,

But ever since we’ve been acquaint

You haven’t acted like a saint.

For when comes round, as fixed as fate,

The day which you appropriate,

You give me cause for new complaint

In manner most unlike a saint...

Your halo’s rimmed with many a dart;

Your symbol is a wounded heart;

Fond swains you lure with artful feint;

Such actions don’t become a saint.

Your name no longer should appear

In saintly calendar ’tis clear,

For I affirm, without restraint,

You’re more a sinner than a saint.