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Valentine Celebration: A Paganism Practice or God Commandment?
Onabanjo Lateef Adeniyi
E-mail: onabanjolateef@yahoo.com
+2348186795540, +2348073082898
Introduction
When we talk about valentine, most women and girls will tell you it is all about
showing love to your boyfriend or husband by way of buying flowers, frames with
romantic words, teddy bear, cakes and lots of other romantic gifts to show how much
you love and care about them. We have seen valentine’ celebrations go well for some
lovers as well as bad for others to an extent of people killing each other in the country.
Well, everyone has his or her own definition when it comes to Valentine’s Day but to
those who know it well and have been part of their Religion, they will tell you what it
really means and what it entails in the religious perspective. Valentine is not and can
never be a social nor worldly idea or event as people assume it to be. Many say it is
world lover’s day – ‘Yes’; because it is a day dedicated by the Catholic Church as a
feast day for all married couples to remember their patron Saint who encourage them
to get married rather than living together without being wedded, which is forbidden
by God. This day has been totally misinterpreted in the society that our young ones,
especially the female gender, suffer most of the consequences of its negative effects
such as Sexual abuse and exploitation during this great celebration. Most of the youth
freely celebrate this day by looking out for someone to be their Val (as they term it),
this often lead to quarrelling and fights and in recent years, it has lead to many
casualty like death (Halimatou Ceesay 2015).
Let us all stand up against this misconception and work together to correct it. Majority
of the youths celebrate it without knowing the origin and the true meaning of it and
how best to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Brief History of the Man called Saint Valentine
As innocent and harmless as St. Valentine’s Day may appear, its traditions and
customs originate from two of the most sexually perverted pagan festivals of ancient
history: Lupercalia and the feast day of Juno Februata.
Assisted by Vestal Virgins, the Luperci (male priests) conducted purification rites by
sacrificing goats and a dog in the Lupercal cave on Palatine Hill, where the Romans
believed the twins Romulus and Remus had been sheltered and nursed by a she-wolf
before they eventually founded Rome. Clothed in loincloths made from sacrificed
goats and smeared in their blood, the Luperci would run about Rome, striking women
with februa, thongs made from skins of the sacrificed goats. The Luperci believed that
the floggings purified women and guaranteed their fertility and ease of childbirth.
February derives from februa or “means of purification.”
To the Romans, February was also sacred to Juno Februata, the goddess of febris
(“fever”) of love, and of women and marriage. On February 14, billets (small pieces
of paper, each of which had the name of a teen-aged girl written on it) were put into a

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container. Teen-aged boys would then choose one billet at random. The boy and the
girl whose name was drawn would become a “couple,” joining in erotic games at
feasts and parties celebrated throughout Rome. After the festival, they would remain
sexual partners for the rest of the year. This custom was observed in the Roman
Empire for centuries.
Celebrated on February 15, Lupercalia (known as the “festival of sexual license”) was
held by the ancient Romans in honour of Lupercus, god of fertility and husbandry,
protector of herds and crops, and a mighty hunter—especially of wolves. The Romans
believed that Lupercus would protect Rome from roving bands of wolves, which
devoured livestock and people.
Valentine comes from the Latin Valentinus, which derives from Valens—“to be
strong, powerful, mighty.” The Bible describes a man with a similar title: “And Cush
begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter
before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the
LORD” (Gen. 10:8-9). He was said to have hunted with bow and arrow.
As mentioned, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia to honour the hunter god Lupercus.
To the Greeks, from whom the Romans had copied most of their mythology,
Lupercus was known as Pan, the god of light. The Phoenicians worshipped the same
deity as Baal, the sun god. Baal was one of many names or titles for Nimrod, a mighty
hunter, especially of wolves. He was also the founder and first lord of Babel (Gen.
10:10-12). Defying God, Nimrod was the originator of the Babylonian Mystery
Religion, whose mythologies have been copied by the Egyptians, the Greeks, the
Romans and a multitude of other ancient peoples. Under different names or titles—
Pan, Lupercus, Saturn, Osiris—Nimrod is the strong man and hunter-warrior god of
the ancients.
But what does the heart symbol have to do with a day honouring Nimrod/Valentine?
The title Baal means “lord” or “master,” and is mentioned throughout the Bible as the
god of pagans. God warned His people not to worship or even tolerate the ways of
Baal (Nimrod). In ancient Chaldean (the language of the Babylonians), BAL, which is
similar to Baal, meant, “Heart.” This is where the Valentine heart symbol originated.
Statement of the Problem
What did God says about paganism? (“Learn not the ways of the heathen…for the
customs of the people are vain” Jeremiah 10:2-3, also notice Christ’s words in
Matthew 15:9, “in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men”.
Are individuals born with an innate disposition to love or is love an acquired
emotion? In contemporary capitalist societies, “romantic love” plays a pivotal role. It
is believed that, this emotion eases the anguish of many personal and social ills.
Looking at Valentine Day from another perspective, “love is an instrument of
capitalist domination and gives people hopes and dreams of improving their personal
lives” which does not simply cushion the effects of their oppression but justify the
status quo. An essential attribute of the conflict perspective is that human beings are
selfish and uncooperative. Capitalism has made “romantic love” into a commodity; a
product to buy and sell, want and own. The more people invest in ‘love’, the more

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they lose themselves. Purchasing an expensive gift for a partner makes the individual
feels completely different about you unlike buying a cheap gift. But what happens
when you no longer can afford an expensive gift? “Feelings Change”. (Vanrick D.
Williams 2004).
Discussion
Satan has deceived the whole world (Rev. 12:9) in multiple ways—especially when it
comes to intimate relationships. St. Valentine’s Day is just one of his tools for
deception.
St. Valentine’s Day originates from the ancient paganism of this Satan-influenced
world. It is designed to deceive mankind by appealing to fleshly, carnal desires—or,
as the Bible calls them, the works of the flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are
manifest [made obvious], which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness,
lasciviousness, idolatry…drunkenness, revealing, and such like” (Gal. 5:19-21).
Ultimately, “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” A true
Christian is focused on God’s soon-coming kingdom (Matt. 6:33) and the world to
come—not on the fleshly cravings of this world. A true Christian must strive to “put
off the old man” and actively imitate the perfect, righteous example of Jesus Christ. A
Christian knows that he must actively come out of this world, out of its pagan-infested
customs, practices and traditions.
St. Valentine’s Day is just one of many tools the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4) uses
to get parents to sacrifice the innocence of their children. Parents today expect their
little ones to “fall in love” and have boyfriends and girlfriends. They think it is “cute”
when little boys and girls hold hands and act like a couple, sneaking a kiss or two
when no one is watching. Some parents get worried when their kids do not show
romantic interest in the opposite sex. They constantly ask them, “Do you have a
boyfriend yet?” or “Who’s your girlfriend?” Yet these same parents are surprised
when their teen-aged “little girl” gets pregnant. Or catches a sexually transmitted
disease. Or gets an abortion behind their back.
This is why we live in a world where a teen-aged virgin is a rare find. Where what
used to be called “shacking up” and “living in sin” is now simply “living together.”
Where sex is nothing more than meaningless physical recreation—no emotional
attachments, no cares, no concerns. Where people change sex partners as conveniently
as they change clothes. Where unmarried twenty- or thirty-something’s have had at
least five sexual partners—and that is considered a low number, especially in the
United States. Where men are not referred to as “my husband,” or “my fiancé,” but as
“my second baby’s father.”
Valentine Day should be bound by the Nigeria delegated authority since God is not in
support of it because of its misconception, misinterpretation and through his
foundation of paganism. Nigeria as a nation is therefore challenged to make things in
line with God commandment by pronouncing a law to bind the celebration of
valentine in the country. Looking at the negative impact of these called ‘Valentine’ in
our society; we will discovered that the life of the youth has been miserable by this
celebration especially the females who through this celebration lost their virtue and
dignity as a female (virginity) all because of what they term (VAL) which is

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recommended by God as “Lust of Flesh”. Parents are also challenged to expose their
children to love God and make them know the history of Saint Valentine and what
God said about it in the Holy Bible that has brought misconception and
misinterpretation to the society.
End the stress. Save your money. Do not be lulled or intimidated by the sheep instinct
of others around you who spend money they do not have for things they do not need –
thus going into debt disobeying God. And tell your children the truth about Santa-
Claus and all the other lies associated with these abominable holidays, which has
always focused away from the true Jesus Christ of the Bible. You face – two choices:
listen to confused, deceived ministers and go along with the masses and their
traditions. Or, open your mind – and your Bible – listen to God, and seek the truth
about these days.
In other to proof all aforementioned above, it’s important to examined other types of
celebration like; Birthday, Christmas, April fool, Ester and the rest of them to know
what God/Biblical says about them and the interpretation giving to them by the
worldly society. In these regards, I will only examine what Biblical says about
birthday celebration.
Birthday Celebration
As sure as death and taxes, all human beings are born on a particular day. Everyone
has a birth date, since God wants people to celebrate life abundantly (John 10:10),
Could this include celebrating birthdays? Is birthday – keeping innocent fun – or does
God hate it? Does it even matter? Birthday celebrations are mentioned in the Bible on
three separate occasions and in each case, something terrible occurred. These three
accounts bear brief examination.
The first account is in Genesis. Pharaoh, the Egyptian King, celebrated his birthday by
executing his chief baker (Gen. 40:1-23). The second account, the New Testament
figure Herod the tetrarch reluctantly ordered the beheading of John the Baptist (Matt.
14:3-11). The final account is found in the book of Job. The Bible says that Job’s
Seven Sons “went and feasted in their houses, everyone his day; and sent and called
for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them (Job 1: 104). Apparently, during
the birthday party of Job’s oldest son, God allowed Satan to kill all ten (10) of Job’s
children through what appears to a tornado (Job 1: 6-13, 18-19). Further proof that
these birthday celebrations displeased God is found in Job 3, take time to read the
entire chapter carefully.
In fact, the Bible is silent on the exact dates of the births of all God’s faithful servants
i.e. Jacob, Sarah, Noah, Abel, Samuel, Job, Ester, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Peter,
Paul, James (Christ brother), and the rest of the apostles.
Most people think that the day of one’s birth is special. Celebrating it certainly does
seem and feel like the right thing to do. Yet, Solomon was inspired to write, “A good
name is better than precious Ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s
birth” (Ecc. 7:1). Like Job, Jeremiah also cursed the day of his own birth: “Cursed be
the day wherein I was born: let not the day wherein my mother bare me be
blessed….wherefore came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my
days should be consumed with shame?”(Jeremiah 20: 14, 18).

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If the day of our death is better than the day of our birth, and some of God’s servants
said that their birth date was far from being a special day, then how special can this
day be?
Solomon also wrote, “As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return
to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his
hand. And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go; and
what profit has he that has laboured for the wind?” (Ecc. 5:15-16). It is not wrong to
acknowledge that one has reached a milestone in a long life. What am trying to let us
know is far different than celebrating birthdays with all of the usual pagan traditions!
It keeps people selfishly focused on their temporary, physical lives, when God’s
purpose is to give mankind eternal life in his family. True Christian should be focused
on how their lives are preparing them for rulership on this earth at the return of Jesus
Christ.
Definition of Terms
Saint Valentine: is just one of many tools the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4) uses to
get parents to sacrifice the innocence of their children.
Gender: The World Health Organization defines gender as the result of socially
constructed ideas about the behaviour, actions, and roles a particular sex performs.
Paganism: Defining paganism is problematic. The term pagan is from Late Latin
paganus, revived during the Renaissance. Itself deriving from classical Latin pagus
which originally meant 'region delimited by markers', paganus had also come to mean
'of or relating to the countryside', 'country dweller', 'villager'; by extension, 'rustic',
'unlearned', 'yokel', 'bumpkin'; in Roman military jargon, 'non-combatant', 'civilian',
'unskilled soldier'.
Where Does God Stand on Valentine Day?
We learn from the Bible that God is strictly opposed to any religious or secular
holiday that keeps humankind blinded from His precious truth. Jesus said, “And you
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). God wants
people to be truly free, not held captive by false beliefs and ideas.
The Bible reveals God’s Holy Days and festivals. Each one illustrates a significant
part of His ultimate love for humanity and His plan to save mankind—a love that led
Jesus Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners. Valentine’s Day has no part in
the salvation of humanity. In fact, it stands in contradiction to it—originating as it
does in sinful, pagan worship.
Valentine’s Day may be acceptable to millions of people, but not to God. It substitutes
human reasoning for God’s truth. It focuses the attention of people on infatuation, not
a deep abiding love, on “getting love,” not giving or sacrificing for others.
God warns all who claim to represent Him, who claims to be Christians, to avoid the
ways of the ancient pagans and their counterfeit holidays and feasts:

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“Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it
may go well with you and your children after you forever, when
you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
“When the Lord your God cuts off from before you the nations
which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in
their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow
them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not
inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their
gods? I also will do likewise.’
“You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every
abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their
gods . . . Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you
shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deuteronomy 12:28-32,
emphasis added).
Valentine’s Day is rooted not in God’s Word, but in ancient paganism. It is not from
the true God but from this world and its false god, Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4).
God says:
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is
passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God
abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).
So to return to the issue raised up front: Should you ask someone to be your
Valentine? Not if you care more about true love and about what God thinks.
Valentine celebration is a day that Parent needs to sit down his children and taught
them the word of God, look into their future plan and encourage them to love God
more and focus on their future rather than engaging themselves in illicit sexual act or
parties. It is a day a through follower of God need to fight for the future
himself/herself.
As Valentine Day 2016 is around the corner, the newest topics in the mouth of
students will be on how to celebrate Valentine with their friends and a lots of plan will
have been going towards these Day. A closer observation is needed by the teachers to
really watch the students’ performance in academic towards this celebration; it is
discover that most students will concentrate more on Valentine celebration than their
studies which contributes to student’s failure in WAEC and JAMB. Love is not one
day thing in life but it is a daily process that goes through new inventions each second
of a person’s life. Many students save the hard-earned income of their parents given
to them for lunch just to buy Valentine Cards and gift for their opposite sex youths.

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Conclusion
God is the supremacy; his commandment must be obey and abide with. The society
must make necessary arrangement in other to make things right and to curb the
casualty that valentine celebration brings to the society. Parents and government must
also contribute to bring back the virtue of the lost glory brought by the Saint
Valentine Day. Let us all stand up against this misconception and work together to
correct it.
Reference
Halimatou Ceesay 2015: She-She-She: Women, girls and Valentine’s Day
celebration: What you should know. The point Newspaper, Thursday, February 12,
2015.
Jerold Aust, 2007: Before you ask someone to be your valentine
http://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/before-you-ask-someone-to-be-your-valentine
The Restored Church of God (2016): The Truth behind St. Valentine’s Day
The Restored Church of God (2016): Are Birthday Celebration Christian? The
Restored Church of God is a 501(c) (3) not for profit organisation.
www.rcg.org/articles/abcc.html
The Real Truth (2016): The Truth about New Year’s and other popular Holidays: The
real truth; a magazine restoring plain understanding.
realtruth.org/articles/111229.001.html
Vanrick D. Williams 2014: Marxist on romantic love, May 26, 2014.
iwnsvg.com/2014/05/26/Marxist-on-romantic-love/