Cape Town - Like many other people across the globe, South Africans today are celebrating Valentine’s Day, dubbed the day of love.
Valentine’s Day, also known as St Valentine’s Day, is observed every year on February 14 as couples, friends and family share gifts, romance and memorabilia in honour of their love for each other.
According to the history books, how Valentine’s Day came to be as big an event as it is today is a mystery. Historians believe that it could be linked to several historical events with links to traditional aspects of both the Christian and ancient Roman communities.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, the “Cape Argus” posed the question, “What does love mean to you?” to our readers and here are some of the responses we received.
University sweethearts Peter Bally and Naadiya Hoosen said: “For us, love means not having to go it alone in this crazy world. It means having a best friend to come home to every day, whose company you can enjoy.
“It’s about having someone you can have impromptu breakfast dates. Someone with whom you can share your dreams, hopes, joys and fears. Someone you can marvel at the stars with. It’s about finding a home in someone else’s heart.”
Tanatswa Chivhere said: “To quote Dolly Alderton, ‘Nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learnt from my long-term friendships with women.’ The women in my life love me in the best ways. They show up for me on my worst days and celebrate with me on my best days.
“They cheer me on and inspire me. Our love, like everything else in our lives, has evolved. My friends love who I am today and who I’ll be tomorrow. Their love is a safe space for me. It’s one of the things that I can truly count on.
“To be loved by such an amazing group of people is truly one of God’s greatest gifts to me.”
Siviwe Boyce said: “Love is words of affirmation and most importantly doing the things you say you will do, showing up for the person you love and being present in more ways than one. Love is a verb.”
As for the history of Valentine’s Day, we stumbled upon several theories compiled by History.com that we found interesting, although some were too iffy to be romantic.
Here is what History.com had to say about our popular day of red roses.
“The Catholic Church recognises at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome.
“When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realising the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Still, others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop, who was the true namesake of the holiday.”
According to History.com, he too was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.
“Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine sent the first ‘valentine’ greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl, possibly his jailer’s daughter, who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed ‘From your Valentine’, an expression that is still in use today.
“Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasise his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and most importantly romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.”
History.com gives another possible explanation behind Valentine’s Day, stating that “some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial which probably occurred around AD 270; others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February to ‘Christianise’ the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.
“Lupercalia celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.”
Over the centuries Valentine’s Day has evolved in its meaning to various communities across the world, with some founding their own variations of the day, such as Galentine’s Day, observed on February 13 to celebrate friendships.