Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated every February 14; this year Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday. Across Nigeria and in other places around the world, candy, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine.
The history of Valentine’s Day and the story of its patron saint is somewhat shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?
The Catholic Church recognizes 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, realizing 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. He, too, was beheaded by Claudius II outside Rome.
According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl—possibly his jailor’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 emphasize 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.
Be that as it may, it still remains incontrovertible that February 14 is the day specifically set aside to celebrate love and appreciate its essence irrespective of what history says about its origin.
As Plato once said, “At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.” Don’t agree? It’s not hard to see why.
Many tongue-tied lovers stumble over themselves when trying to figure out just the most romantic way to say “I love you.” After all, it’s not easy to fully express exactly how it is you feel about the person you love most.
The most romantic saying would include something to do with the heart.
It’s not like most of us walk around with an endless supply of our favorite love quotes at the top of our mind and on the tip of our tongue. Honestly, if we did, we might sound even more awkward than we do otherwise.
However, while we commemorate the 2025 edition of Valentine’s Day on Friday, February 14, 2025, we must realize that love is the hardest habit to break and the most difficult to satisfy, it is the greatest refreshment in life.
Love is also the voice under all silences, the hope which has no opposite in fear; the strength so strong mere force is feebleness; the truth more first than sun, more last than star. Love loves to love love. Happy Valentine’s Day to all those who appreciate the essence of love and not to the heart breakers.
