VDay D' Day?

Forgive me for being ignorant. Forgive me if what I say here will offend others. We might not share the thought, but I wish to voice my opinion out loud anyway. This may irritate you, and if you do, drop a comment and just disagree. Speak up and make me UNDERSTAND you.

Valentine day is celebrated for… (clueless??). Well, this is what my friend forwarded to myself earlier.
1. Valentino adalah orang terpenting ratu Isabella yang berjasa menumpaskan kerajaan Islam Qordhoba, Sepanyul. Ratu Isabella dan seluruh rakyat menganggap dia sebagai kekasih dan 14 Februari itu dirayakan sebagai tanda kemenangan dalam menyembelih umpaskan umat Islam serta memadamkan cahaya Islam di Sepanyul.
2. Sebelum mencapai kejayaannya menumpaskan Islam, Valentino dikatakan mempunyai dua orang kekasih. Kekasih pertamanya beragama Islam dan keduanya beragama Kristian. Memandangkan berlainan agama, maka dia terpaksa melupakan kekasihnya yang Islam dan menumpukan kepada yang beragama Kristian Protestant . Apabila ia berjaya menumpaskan kerajaan Islam di Qordhoba, maka ratu Isabella bertanya kepadanya, apakah bentuk ganjaran yang ingin dikurniakan kepadanya. Lantas Valentino menyatakan keinginannya untuk mengahwini kekasihnya, yang berfahaman Protestant itu. Permintaan itu menimbulkan kemarahan Isabella dan juga rakyat Qordhoba kerana Valentino adalah padri Katholik sedangkan kekasihnya Protestant, tambahan pula beliau saorang paderi dan sememangnya tidak boleh berkahwin. Atas kemurkaan inilah ia dipenjarakan, tetapi sebagai mengenangkan jasa paderi itu tarikh 14 Februari dianggat sebagai hari mengingati kekasih.


Hmm. So, amidst all these, how did he come to be associated with a celebration of love and amore`? After much researching (which mostly tell me the same thing in different version), I have gone deep into the history of St Valentine.

St. Valentine was a temple priest, who was jailed for defiance, about the year A.D. 269, during the reign of Claudius the Goth. Emporer Claudius was having trouble recruiting strong young men for his army and believed that marriage was the culprit. He believed it made the men weak. This St. Valentine was said to have performed many secret marriages of young lovers, despite an edict that marriage was illegal. When Claudius first heard about Valentine he tried to convert him to his paganism. In turn Valentine attempted to convert Claudius to Christianity. When his effort failed the poor fellow was stoned and beheaded! Whoever he was, we know he was an actual person because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to a Saint Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.

Well then, which version is true? Did we ‘unintentionally’ twist the story around because we are not comfortable in learning the fact that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in honor of a Christian martyr? Would it make much different if a Muslim was celebrated instead?

I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day before. Not because I don’t think that it was not proper, but because I never had the luxury to do so. But some of my friends were reluctant to commemorate the day because it was not right in Islamic perspective. I am just way too confused.

I don’t think honoring a Christian devoted means that you are less Islamic (If my version is true la). I believe that we have to respect other people regardless of their belief and religion. If that person has done well to humanity, he/she deserve the praise and respect that goes along with that. Take Mother Theresa as a close example.

Hmm … What do you think?

ps. Here I am waiting anxiously for VDay. Celebrating VDay is part of my 2006 To Do List. Damn. One task that I don't think I can ever complete.