Someone rightly said that life is not a bed of roses. Stories
of wars, untold hardship, man’s inhumanity to man, among others bombard the
airwaves daily. Foreign media are awash with fearful stories that can melt the
strongest of hearts. Man is suspicious of his neighbour because no one can be
trusted anymore. Wars and suicide bombings have become the order of the day. No
wonder the saying, ‘watch your back’ has become more popular in recent times. The
world is in a crisis. One wonders what would become of the generation following
going by today’s terror and evil-minded men. Evil is everywhere and the
articulated attempt and well-thought-out plans of great leaders and nations are
not yielding enough fruits, but, in the midst of all these calamities, hope
beckons, a ray of light appears.
Love is being touted as the panacea to world problems. There
is no gainsaying the fact that love has the ability to pull warring nations
together. The month of February is looked on as the month of love and the 14th
of the month is specially recognised as St. Valentine’s Day or Lovers’ day as
the case may be. Love is expressed everyday in several ways by different
people, groups or society but a particular day has been tagged a ‘love’ day
with so much attached to it.
Why is the entire city agog with celebrations, red colours
adorning the streets, shops, eateries, cinemas and happy faces everywhere? At
this juncture, one is wont to ask; who is Valentine and why is he celebrated
the world over? Did he achieve any feat in his lifetime that earned him such an
exalted position? How did he become associated with love and romance?
It is no longer news that every February 14 across some
nations of the world, chocolates, flowers and gifts are exchanged between loved
ones to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. Orphanages as well as other less privileged
homes are not left out as members of the public visit and share gifts to them
on such a day. The attention the day gets makes one query who the originator of
the tradition was and the reason everyone recognises it as a day to celebrate
love.
It is said that the history of Valentine’s Day and the story
of its patron is shrouded in mystery. It was believed that Valentine was a
priest of the Roman Catholic Church who served during the third century in Rome
when Emperor Claudius 11 decided that single men wouldn’t be allowed to marry
because they made better soldiers than married men. So, he outlawed marriage
for young men. Valentine who wasn’t happy with the injustices of the decree
continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. Claudius ordered his
execution when his actions were discovered.
Another story had it that Valentine may have been killed for
helping Christians escape harsh Roman prisons while some said an imprisoned
Valentine fell in love with a young girl and sent her the first ‘Valentine’
greeting himself with the title, ‘from your Valentine’.
In as much as one may never get to know the real reason
behind the day, the stories all depict a sympathetic, loving, kind and most
importantly, romantic figure whose sole aim was to show and express love to
others.
Red was the colour of the day. The city of Lagos was in a
celebration mood, vehicular traffic was light probably because the day was
Sunday. Shopping malls witnessed huge human traffic, one could see happy
children, gaily and beautifully-dressed couples at event centres, cinemas and
beaches across the city. It was a different kind of day. The mass media hyped
the day and everybody loosened up to join the fray.
I went around the city of Lagos to feel the pulse of the
people and wasn’t surprised at what I was told. I was curious to find out the
reason for the reason behind the Valentine ‘madness’; what February 14 meant to
some people and the best way to celebrate it.
Mr. Osita Agu, 48
(Businessman) Isolo
“As far as I am concerned, February 14 is just another day,
someone’s birthday. It is also St. Valentine’s Day, a day for love for love’s
sake. I would love to celebrate the day by showing love to those who do not
have anyone to show them love, also to spend time with my family because I am a
family man.”
Ogunbiyi Oluwafemi, 22
(Student) Ikeja
“February 14 to me is a day set aside to celebrate St.
Valentine, a man who died for some people out of love. That’s why it’s called
Valentine’s day and to me, it’s just like celebrating Easter but the difference
is that some people especially Muslims and Atheists regard February 14 more
because they believe it’s an act of love, that is, Valentine’s death. So,
February 14 is a day to celebrate love as exemplified by St. Valentine. The
best way to celebrate the day is to do what Valentine did; show love ‘not by
dying’ but by sharing, giving to the needy, having fun with friends and family
members.”
Anthony Nwani, 35
(Minister) Ejigbo
“To me, February 14 is a time to extend God’s hand of love.
The bible said that God is love and those that call on his name are expected to
express that love to mankind always and not just on a designated day. It is
good to celebrate on that day but love is an all-time thing. One day is not
enough to show it. As far as I am concerned, the best way to celebrate Valentine’s
Day is to visit the orphanage, pray for the inmates and give them gifts.”
Valentine’s Day may have come and gone with all its fantasies
but love is not something one celebrates in a day. Nigeria as a nation can
achieve a lot in its fight against terrorism if love takes the centre stage.
Human beings lack the ability to co-habit peacefully but the love of God can
break all barriers and help usher in the much needed peace to a troubled world.
How far we can go in making love the watchword in our world
is left for us to decide.
Photo credit: google
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