Mazeed Mukhtar Oyeleye writes,
Ever wondered why February is the third most deadly month, despite being deficient in days, unlike August (which happens to be the least deadly according to mirror.co.uk) or July? I want to believe Google must have failed you too this time around like it did fail to prove my guess wrong or even lend it credibility.
Behold! My dogma points accusing fingers at a certain activity that takes place in the month. My opinion might not be the most prevalent, but that's why it's subjective anyway, coupled with the topicality of my reasons. The activity is Valentine's day, and second to none according to my speculations owing to the appalling aftermath of 'The Valentine's day', a famous holiday with a history dating as far back as the 3rd century, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.
The day happens to have assumed the name 'Valentine's day' in the fifth century, in commemoration of one or both of two martyred priests who bore the name. Though there are assumptions that they could be the same person, one of the priests were said to have been executed for joining young couples in matrimony secretly, in defiance to the emperor's orders, to prevent the husbands from war, and subsequent death.
The other was said to have been writing love letters to the daughter of the emperor from behind bars signing them with 'your Valentine'. However, the nominal origin of this holiday is but a facade over the real history of the celebration. Historians believe the holiday is an offshoot of Lupercalia, reformed by Pope Gelasius [I] in the fifth century.
Lupercalia was an ancient pagan festival of Roman descent, said to have been celebrated as far back as the 6th century BC. to herald the arrival of the spring season. It was a bloody, violent and sexually-charged celebration, awash with animal sacrifice, random matchmaking, and coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility. Eccentric it does seem, but synonymous practices have gained ground in our society today.
Valentine's Day, otherwise known as Cupid's day is one set aside by the Christian missionaries, to objectively replace the Romans' celebration of Lupercalia, which was considered heathen and rustic? The day became widely known by the latter name and objective, as a celebration of love. It is a day in which lovers, friends, and family show affection and love by exchanging gifts, unlike the former.
Unfortunately, Lupercalia has returned to the realm of mortals and our society, despite attempts to vanquish it completely. The Lupercalian activities have hijacked Valentine's Day celebrations, replacing the objective of the latter with the former 'satisfying lust' and even worse addendums. The day has thus transformed from a day of 'love' to one of 'loss'. Losses circulate instead of love; morality, chastity, dignity, sanity, humanity, fertility is lost, and in hapless cases fatality is encountered.
Valentine's Day is now a day characterized by an alarming rate of population, owing to mutual consent, coercion, sedation, emotional blackmail, inebriation, doping and a host of other calamitous actions. The activities spell disastrous aftermaths which often include physical, social and psychological issues and even threat to life in extreme cases. A look into the physical aftermaths unearths tragedies like bruises, defloration, hemorrhage, STDs, unwanted pregnancies.
In the same vein, such pregnancies lead to abortion (murder of fetuses) or social challenges like defamation, societal disparage, broken homes, single parenthood, and severance of family ties, loveless marriages and a host of other hapless occurrences. Abortion, on the other hand, could lead to sterility, or disability of the offspring should attempt to be unsuccessful. Going through the cataclysmic phase could push the victims into the despicable embrace of the psychological challenges which could provoke suicidal tendencies. The bottom line of the eventualities will be a radical reduction in the population of our Homo sapien species, as I earlier hypothesized, as an aftermath of Valentine's Day’s activities, in addition to the normal tragedies that occur.
Is a festival meant for the betterment of humanity, yet results in phenomena that pose threats to happiness worth celebration? Is Lupercalia which is thought to be a figment of the past, haunting the present worthy of more room in our midst? Are our lives so meaningless that we'd allow the celebration of a holiday of pagan origin ruin? If anyone comes up with affirmative answers to the questions, he groks humanity from behind a fog.
Furthermore, The Bible; in Deuteronomy 12 (29-32) speaks against the celebration of Valentine's Day and related festivals as a result of their heathen origins. Islam on the other hand rigidly and completely shuns such practices (celebration and the immoral activities attached) for whatsoever it stands for, as love never ceases to be in circulation provided the Islamic salutation continues to be spread. The prophet also condemned the espousal of practices with non-Islamic origins in a popular hadeeth "whosoever imitates a folk or people (non-Muslims), then he is one of them (a disbeliever)" - [Bulooghul-Maraam: book 16; hadeeth 1514]
The occurrences in the society, attached to Valentine's Day celebrations over time have been pretty questionable. Religious doctrines similarly, do not support the propagation of the celebration which has come forth with dominant traits peculiar to its paganic offshoot, Lupercalia. It is worthy of note that such a celebration has no place in our society, as our norms and values are offshoots of our religious and cultural heritage.
If and only if further divagation from our core values is righteous and patriotic, then we should celebrate Valentine's Day year in, year out. Should it be otherwise, as inarguably obvious; this is thus a Clarion call to all, to force Lupercalia out of our society, into a lifelong exile. We have to make the right choices and rebuild our society into one even posterity would be proud of, before afterthoughts set in.
Hearken! Reflect!! And Decide!!!
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