5 facts you need to know about Valentine’s Day
The normal translation of Valentine’s Day to “Hari Kekasih” in Bahasa Melayu is wrong. The word “kekasih” when translated to English is lover and not Valentine. When “Valentine’s Day” is translated into Bahasa Melayu, it is “Hari memperingati Valentine”. The question now, who is Valentine and why do we have to commemorate his life or death? The translation of “Hari kekasih” by the media will only give wrong ideas about this day.
It was a pagan celebration to honor the god Lupercus. It was originally known as “the feast of wolf”.
The celebration was later on Christianized and related to the death of a Christian Bishop named Valentine for conducting secret marriages of military personnel in the year 270.
Many customs connected to Valentine’s Day originate from the popular belief in England and France during the middle Ages, that on February 14, birds began to pair.
Nowadays, the celebration of Valentine’s Day is associated with the problems of ikhtilat (socialization) and other social problems including adultery and fornication. Islam does not encourage flirting or suggestions of romantic relationships before marriage.