GLK

Valentine's Day aka Friendship Day ( My 1st Post Yeyay!!)

Ok, today we celebrate the 20th century greatest commercial marketing festival and perhaps the most wallet burning day in history of MANkind.. Hmm, so how in the world did this day come about, is it a brilliant idea from a marketing genius or does it have its roots in ancient history. Here's what i found out after some intense research (ok lah, I went to google and type valentine's day ;p) but here's it...

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd 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 (how they gonna produce they next generation soldiers when the pple can get marry and reproduce? Pea-brain idea leh) -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius (yeah, wayta go father!) and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death (OMG!!)


In a second legend, it is said that in ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno, the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses . The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia. The lives of young boys and girls were strictly separate (reminds me of sec sch :( ). However, one of the customs of the young people was name drawing. On the eve of the festival of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man (why man, kinda sexist huh...) would draw a girl's name from the jar and would then be partners for the duration of the festival with the girl whom he chose. Sometimes the pairing of the children lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry (maybe that's where 'Lunch Actually' get their idea from. see below for more details)

So this Emperor Claudius II Rome aka Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. Therefore as a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Then our Saint Valentine, a priest at Rome, together with Saint Marius aided the Christian martyrs and secretly married couples. Alas Saint Valentine was apprehended and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to his death on the 14th day of February, about the year 270 AD.

At that time it was the custom in Rome, to celebrate in the month of February the Lupercalia, feasts in honour of a heathen god (paganists!). On these occasions, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed (wah ma jiam lottery. At least the men n women WON'T Be DATELESS on feb 14 lah.) But the pastors from the Christian Church in Rome endeavoured to do away with the pagan element in these feasts by substituting the names of saints for those of maidens. And as the Lupercalia began about the middle of February, the pastors appear to have chosen Saint Valentine's Day for the celebration of this new feast. So it seems that the custom of young men choosing maidens for valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year, arose in this way. Also in an attempt to do away with the pagan element in these feasts, the pastors substituted the names of saints for those of maidens.

Well that pretty sums up the brief history of St Valentine and how valentine's day came about : )

LUNCH ACTUALLY, Singapore's premier lunch dating company offers you the chance to get acquainted over lunch, coffee or even after work drinks! feat. on Channel News Asia's report on 11 February 2005.

Ah Yang Says:

Personnally I think Valentine's Day a GREAT day. Why?

Firstly its a marketing dream come true!! What look at the packages being offered at restaurants, diners, gift shops, hotels, florists, and not to mention the slimming centres and saloons to make you look like the next Brad Pitt (ok, or as who the men wanted to believe they look like the Beckhams or Andy Laus etc.) or J.Lo(this could really cost u a BOMB!)

Secondly, what a better time then Valentine's Day to express your love for the people whom you cared for. I mean it's also friendship day, still remember the JC days when the female schoolmates (the thoughtful and sweet ones (",) ) make little gifts and presents for everyone in class. Wow, I mean what a sweet (all the chocolates and sweets definitely make for a sugary feeling) action to begin your day in school right? So nice.

Thirdly, the pressure!! Yeah man, singles, me included, don't you feel alittle (well maybe some....oh ok lah ALOT) pressure from seeing all the people going out in pairs and you're the only one without a date! Oh man. Well, what a better motivation (esp your close friends, clique)(notice how pressure can be GOOD too? It's all in the mind ok?) to express your love for the SPECIAL ONE in your heart. Ok lah, if you kena rejected, then nvm, tmr's another day rite? How about considering the BEST case senario? You got hitched and spend the most romantic and memorable evening with your new found girl/boy friend in your life thus far (maybe even more?? :P)

Fourthly, ok you are unattached. Go clubbing, Kbox, movie,or drinking with your best mates (people in the same plight) and share the most wonderful time together (hopefully u don't end up too drunk and vomitting on your friend's bed ;p Yuwen does this sounds painfully familiar to you??) It's time like this that we really appreciate our friends of the same sex (nan4 xiong1 nan4 di4) dun we?!

Lastly, well how about waking up to a great surprise (hopefully pleasant). Heard this story from a friend, her boyfriend told her yesterday that he will be busy in camp today, and he can't be at home. Then there's this DVD delievery that will be made to his house today in the morning, so he asked his girlfriend if she can help him collect the DVDs instead. My friend agreed, so the DVDs are to be delievered to her house instead. And the boyfriend even asked her to put on a cap when collecting the DVDs, pirated stuff, so gotta be more inconspicuous la. Then today she woke up when the delievery man came, reluctantly she went to open the door la (Wah lau Valentines day no boyfriend and then help do tis kind of stupid stuff, which girl won't sian diao? Summore disturb her beauty sleep), however her dad who was oso around beat her to the door. Oops, uncle is an honest man, pirated DVDs, so my friend tot she confirmed get scolding liao, then timidly standing behind her dad, to my friend and her dad's surprise (for obviously different reasons la), the delievery man handed a bouquet of roses to her dad. Wah kao, clincher liao la, that must have melted it her heart (wah daddy stress liao la, daughter boyfriend chu high power, wat now will mummy expect from daddy :-) ) Ok my point being isn't it Valentine's Day a good time for couples to put in their creative juices and think of ideas to give the other person a wonderful and sweet surprise? Hey this is the way to teach creativity, not from text books, but practical test!!

Well hope you had a great time on Valentine's day, if not at least the day is over at last isn't it ? 8-)