Valentine Day wisdoms St.Valentine is among other things also the patron saint of the Plague victims.

Saint Valentine the holy man now inextricably linked to pastel hearts and Hallmark cards, but he’s the patron saint of much more than love. Bee keepers, plague victims, and epilepsy sufferers also fall under his posthumous jurisdiction.

Despite being one of the most known saints, the exact identity of Saint Valentine is itself rather fuzzy. There was a priest named Valentine, as well as a bishop, who were both martyred in the third century by Claudius II after they defended Christians. The priest was beaten to death and decapitated after being imprisoned. The multiple Valentine identities somehow merged, which accounts for the whole horde of Valentine relics, including numerous skulls.

“The association of Valentine with romantic rites is due to largely futile efforts of early religious Christian leaders to do away with pagan festivals by substituting a Christian observance. February 14 was traditionally the Roman festival of Lupercalia, an important day to honor Juno, the Queen of Heaven and protector of women. The wife of Jupiter, Juno was said to bestow her blessing on courtship rituals or marriages celebrated that day.”

But where do bees, plague, and epilepsy come come in? Well, curing the sick, including epileptics, is one of the miracles attributed to Saint Valentine. In a 2009 paper in Epilepsy & Behavior journal on “St. Valentine–patron saint of epilepsy: illustrating the semiology of seizures over the course of six centuries,” 341 depictions of Valentine curing epilepsy are cited dating back to the 15th century. The plague may have been a later attribution when Europe, struck by the devastating disease, turned to any saint for aid that had any powers of healing. The bee keeping may be more a part of the iconography of fertility attached to Valentine, although sources vary. More here.

What concerns his attribution to the Plague here's a well hidden dark secret:

Valentine Day in Jewish History 1349: A Valentines Day Massacre in Alzace. The Black Death, sweeping Europe in the 14th century, provided an excuse for the citizens of Strasbourg to unleash their anti-Semitism.

On February 14, 1349 – St. Valentines Day – the Jewish residents of Strasbourg, in Alsace, were burned to death by their Christian neighbors. Estimates of the number murdered range from several hundred to more than 2,000. What was left of the Jewish population was kicked out of the city. More on this story here and here.

Pakistan - In Lahore, Muslim women slam Valentine's Day for destroying the family.

Pakistan - In Lahore, Muslim women slam Valentine's Day for destroying the family. (AsiaNews).

The goal is "to defend our homes. Secularists and liberals condemn religious leaders for their outdated beliefs, but then do not tolerate it when their daughters and sisters date. We have to save our generation and propagate the culture of honour and respect,” said Samia Raheel Qazi, president of the women section of Jamat-e-Islami (Jl), a conservative Islamist Party, during a protest in front of the Press Club of Lahore.

Shouting "Our values, our asset", women handed out leaflets and held banners against the "Western" and consumerist culture that underpin Valentine's Day.  Whilst not taking part in the rally, Catholics share the Muslim women’s family values.

The protesters gave passers-by books on the Islamic way of life, marriage, family protection, the system of values ​​and parental dignity.

The protest was held at a location crowded with sellers of flowers, balloons, teddy bears and other accessories for Valentine Day celebrations.

Protesters also plan to write to those companies that publish unethical advertising in newspapers and magazines.

For Jamat-e-Islami, Valentine's Day comes from a different and immoral culture, which threatens to undermine the basic values ​​of Islamic society. The party’s women section announced more protests in front of bookstores, beauty salons and shops.


"The use of Internet and media is harming our culture,” Samia Raheel Qazi said. “Our youth are being infected by immorality and their change in behaviour is destroying our family system.”

Valentine Special: Saudi religious police denies intent to shut down flower shops.

Valentine Special: Saudi religious police denies intent to shut down flower shops.(AA).The head of Saudi Arabia’s Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice [CPVPV], denied on Tuesday plans to close shops selling flowers during Valentine’s Day.
Sheikh Abdullatif al-Sheikh told the Saudi daily newspaper al-Jazirah: “This is not our specialty. It is the specialty of other parties. We reject what violates the book (Quran) and the Sunna (the Prophet’s teaching) and Saudi Arabia’s regulations.”
“We deal with issues on a case by case basis, and if there is a violation our role is to liaise with concerned government parties,” he added.
Al-Sheikh’s statements followed widely-circulated reports that commission is planning to close all shops selling flowers on Valentine’s Day.
Previously, the commission banned the sale of red roses ahead of Valentine’s Day, forcing couples to think of new ways to show their love.
In 2008, it ordered florists and gift shop owners in the capital Riyadh to remove from their displays any red-colored items -- from roses to wrapping paper and teddy bears.
Non-Muslims in the kingdom are allowed to celebrate the holiday behind closed doors. Most Western expatriates live in gated communities called “compounds” that are beyond the jurisdiction of the religious police.
In 2009, Florists and toy stores in were reported to have hid their red roses and romantic gifts out of sight to avoid being shut down. This was part of an annual struggle between the kingdom’s religious police and its love birds. Read the full story here.