Friends Of STAR

I am always amused by the antics of the so-called defenders of the faith when it comes to Valentine Day. OK, take it for granted once upon a time Valentine Day was a Catholic celebration but the Catholic Church had years ago discarded this as one of their feasts since they were themselves confused about which Valentinus, or Valentine in English, they were celebrating for. In fact, it is accepted by many though not all, the three saints (or maybe two) had nothing to do with with celebration of love as it is now associated with Valentine Day.

And then there are clever people up there who said this was never a Christian celebration to begin with but how the name Valentine stuck for this not so holy day is still a mystery. Probably, a British poet by the name of Chaucer started this Valentine day madness not because of religion but because of love. Others said it begun with an English king who wrote a beautiful poem to his beautiful wife.

But not all countries call it Valentine Day. In Sweden it is called All Hearts Day and in Finland it is called Friend's day. South Americans call it Day of Love and Friendship.

Today Valentine day has little or almost nothing to do with religion but has a great deal to do with commercial exploitation. Red roses, expensive chocolate and dinner at posh restaurants are things people often associate with Valentine Day. It is an American import, or shall I call it an American trade imperialism just like Levi's, Coke and iPhone. It has nothing to do with raw sex but more towards a candle lit dinner for two and giving or receiving a bouquet of red roses or a box of chocolate.

Of course, a religious department missed the point completely when it claimed the day was associated with the fall of Islam in Cordoba, Spain. Maybe they do not know much about history but lying to their teeth is of course, irreligious. Cordoba is one of the biggest things about Islam in Europe and everyone who could afford it should go and see for themselves. The fall of Cordoba had everything to do with internal power struggle between various Muslim groups or shall I say, the greed of men, Muslims or non-Muslims.

Valentine day is not the biggest Christian thing we are celebrating. The biggest of them all is the Gregorian Calendar. The calendar we are using today is known as Gregorian Calendar because it was introduced by Pope Gregory XII in 1582. If you observe carefully there are two important things that are characteristically Christian with the calendar. Anno Domini abbreviated as AD and Before Christ abbreviated as BC. Anno Domini is Latin for In the year of the Lord and it is sometimes known as Anno Domini Nostri Iesu (Jesu) Christi or In the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Of course BC stands for Before Christ.

So to all those good, intellectual Muslims who vehemently oppose Valentine day, look closer.  Which is a bigger sin - celebrating Valentine Day or using Gregorian calendar?