The ever more intrusive Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. As always, its origins are misted by time, however we can probably accept that the original Valentine was a martyr who comforted those being persecuted for their beliefs during the excesses that marked the fall of the ancient Roman Empire.
Whether he simply prayed for, or ministered to those in their last days. Whether he restored the eyesight of a young woman who then immediately fell in love with him, whether he actually married couples in the jails and prisons of Rome, or whether a passionate Valentine declared his love for another beauty before he died in the arena, we will certainly never know. Of the most likely candidates, Valentine of Rome, died only a few years before the second, Valentine of Terni, and both are said to be interred on the Via Flaminia, one of the first roads ever built, so they must have commanded quite some respect.
It may not be a coincidence that early history records a Roman festival of Chastity as being observed on or about the current date of February 14, while the very first concrete evidence of the date arose in the court of Charles VI of France and his Queen Isabeau, during the 15th century, where a celebration of ‘love’ emerged, the mind boggles doesn’t it? What we do know is that the romantics of those Middle Ages in Europe linked the early Spring hatching of the very fashionable, of the times, lovebirds evolved, during the 18th century, into a February 14th Saints Day with hearts, roses, and doves all linked to the festive event.
William Shakespeare perpetuates the day too, writing in 1601:
"To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, and all in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window, to be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes, and dupp'd the chamber-door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid, never departed more."
Richard Cadbury, the eldest son of John Cadbury founder of the iconic brand, was among the first chocolatiers to romanticize chocolates with heart-shaped boxes of the confectionery produced for Valentine's Day in 1868. It was never more than modestly observed however, until the American retail sector ‘reinvented’ it during the post-war 1950’s ‘feel-good’ years, to the extent that in that country, Valentine’s related spending by 52 per cent of the population, has reached $32 billion in 2022, or nearly $200 per person. Wow!
It’s a big thing, surprisingly, in the Sultanate of Oman too, with not only balloons and confectionary great sellers, but most of the upmarket hospitality and dining destinations thriving on the commercial opportunities Valentine’s Day offers. One resort invited last year’s guests to “dress to impress, and let our chefs do the rest.” While another alluded to romanticism and fine dining as an opportunity to “solemnise your bond of timeless love,” and a third exhorted its guests to “Relish the romance... to take your love to greater heights.” But the best was the invitation to “dine among the clouds... to get the one-to-one time you and your love deserve.”
All of these, for this culture, romantic, often touching, and spectacularly inviting, from the mountain heights to the seashores. I love that this nation, and its people are learning to express themselves outwardly, without reservation, for few nations can boast the grace, beauty, elegance, and absolute class of its womenfolk, while its men are slowly but surely coming to the realisation that romance has an inevitability in a successful life, and that love really does conquer all. Your spouses are as much a garment for you as you are to them.
At a time when we are being challenged by those who would change how we see, recognise, appreciate, and treasure ourselves and others, it is appropriate that we celebrate love itself. Surely we all need love, and less important than where we find it is that we find it. So, do the right thing... whether dining, dancing, or simply celebrating together, love, honour, cherish, and adore the one you love, on Valentine’s Day and every day.
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
