February
is a short sweet month. It is a time when the cold winters have just
receded. A month which is not yet hot. A transitory month. A month of
spring in some parts of the world. A month where trees, plants and over
all nature bloom forth with life after the cold, when they were in
hibernation. This is the month, when nature begins to bloom.
In
all the old cultures of the world, including India, this transitory
month between winter and summer, February and March, was earlier
celebrated as the Vasanta Utsav month. The Vasanta season was
considered fit not only for humans to fall in love this month and marry,
even the divinities thought this month fit to marry in. It
is a season of celestial marriages when nature is more pleasant and
conducive for endearing thoughts and deeds. It is the month when
Krishna played with the Gopikas, the month when Kamdeva is worshiped more. ;-) . A king by the name
Sarfoji Maharaja of Tanjavur, used to visit the Manmada temple, the
temple of Cupid (God of love), with his wife everyday of this month and
encouraged young lovers to visit the riverside and enjoy the beauty
which nature has to offer.
One might think that why is this day alone celebrated as Lovers’ day?.....and what is its connection with Saint Valentine? Well, there are many stories and facts which I have read, some on wiki and some from random sources but what was amazing for me the connection of this month and its origin in India. I was reading history of ancient India(Not very keen on reading history yet have some hidden interests) and I could really relate this day which is being observed as Valentine's day in Western
Countries. In the recent years, Indian youngsters also celebrated it as
Lover's Day but on Basant Panchmi which is not very known because there was no saint like Valentine involved in that(Actually there were many :-D).
I could haven't gone into detail on what happened and the history behind it but the fact which made me go bonkers over it... ..
Emperor Claudius of Rome thought that single men made better soldiers(I could understand his concern ;-)) than married men with wives and families so
he outlawed marriages for young men. Saint Valentine defied the decree
of Emperor Claudius and got young lovers married, in secret. When this
act of Valentine was discovered, he was put to death. This probably
could be the reason for linking Saint Valentine to young lovers. He came up with 'Thousand ways to Love', each of them had its own significance( I don't like some of them but look for the ones I'm amazed at!!) .No wonder these seven ways in the week of Valentine are part of them.
It has become a fashion to spend the day or night in pubs
or night clubs. Many times, such celebrations go beyond
control causing anxiety to our beloved ones and sometimes otherwise. Not withstanding the current happenings, in the
early days, the relationship between the lovers
were more gentle and they treated the relationship with more divinity,
giving respect for the relationship. Such
celebrations were done for a month, probably to develop more intimacy
between lovers. It was not a showy event then. In those days, it was celebrated in the
company of their loved ones, adhering to the norms of a civilized society,
in a civilized manner. It is a time for re-establishing the sense of
harmony between loved ones and with nature as we seem to lose our sense of decorous celebration, leaving us pretentious and pompous.
This celebration culminates in the Holi festival, festival of colours, festival of joy
when people come together; forgive each other, bond with each other,
forgetting the mistakes of the past. All being said love is the feeling which has many aspects and many forms. One should be lucky to get it in the forms and make a bridge for one's own destiny. Destiny, though seems very unrealistic word but it's something which we make ourselves to be for the ones we love, one way or another.
A very old saying , 'Find a reason to be happy or be happy for a reason then every single day is like Holi and Diwali'.
