Valentine, not just for the birds

Some reading reveals that olden Valentine folklore may refer to several saints with common Saint Valentine appellation, although only two traceable martyr priests had celebratory feasts on the same day, February 14. But it was much long later – about the medieval period – that the romantic or love connection of Valentine, like, gifting love-tokens between sweethearts became a customary celebration observed on the second week of the second month.

Amusingly, the traditional occasion was the start of the mating of the birds, and Chaucer wrote in his work “Parlement of the Foules” something, like, as “for this seynt Valentynes’ day”. Incidentally, Chaucer is the same English poet Geoffrey Chaucer who, some literary critics over time, did wonder if the Shakespearean drama tragedies were not inspired by, and patterned after, Chaucer’s works.

The realm of mythology of gods and goddesses of the Olympus also relates of the impish Cupid playing love capers with his arrow on unsuspecting young hearts, and even on the not-so-young at heart. And the myth has become a reality.

 In contemporary time, Valentine’s Day is still the time for sentimental tributes or greetings between sweethearts, or gift-giving of love-tokens, as in, flowers especially red roses, love-notes or sweet nothings, chocolates, and precious items. And this is a time for Valentine dates.

The way people view the occasion and its significance, Valentine is more on the romantic relationship between a young maiden and her beau. In the strict sense, Valentine is for lovers, just as its natural origin is the mating of the birds: The sidling approaches, the cooing sounds, the soft pecking of feathers, and the actual coupling.

Love is often indiscriminately used to describe closeness or intimacy of personal ties, like, filial love, or paternal/maternal love, the fraternal feeling, the platonic, the infatuation, the crush or puppy love, teenage or first love, or the unique love by the lolos/lolas for their “apo’stles”. The “crush” or “puppy love” could ripen into the real thing if circumstances so will it; but, may also wilt the possibilities because of, say, distance, absence, embarrassment, difference in social standing, or coming of age and discernment, or silent idolatry, or fear of rejection, or plain cowardice.

What about other “loves” that do not necessarily follow the groove of physical feelings or emotions? Or, when the emotional factor is at a different level and different effect or significance from that of the romantic love of a young lass and her swain? Definitely, the latter love is with physical desire for the opposite sex and, could be interlaced with lust.

To the idealistic and hopelessly romantic, they say that true love isn’t corrupted by lust and is cleansed from the physical hunger for the flesh. And, as a young priest touched in his homily, true love is selfless, as lust is selfish; true love is not for physical pleasure but more of spiritual as soul-mates go, as lust is the purely biological desire for sexual satisfaction.

Getting on a higher plain more than a cut beyond the usual sexual – for the birds – or romantic notion, the valentine spirit could be love’s higher perspective as an idealistic virtue. For instance, there are asexual ties of friendship, the love of fellowmen or for country, or the love of the arts, or literary fiction, or the edifying love of nature. And above all, there’s the love of God which has to be the supreme and greatest love of all, to quote the ending lyrics of a song.

But then, with the sophistication of man’s lifestyle with the IT culture cluttered with Ipods, Wikipedia, Facebook, and a host of ever-changing computerization and gadgets, mankind especially the youth, love as a virtue is forgotten for love of the flesh solely.

And so, true to the origin of Valentine coinciding with the mating of the birds, the contemporary vogue may be so excessively romanticized and fantasized. Nonetheless, the ethereal spirit of Valentine is not just mating for the birds.

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