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Message: <blockquote data-quote="fusangite" data-source="post: 2015744" data-attributes="member: 7240">So I did. Now, if anyone would take the position that the celebration has something to do with the saint, it would be the Roman Catholic Church. However, here is what they have to say:Although the Catholic Encyclopedia doesn't quite come out and say it, this certainly is indicative of the more mainstream theory that this festival is a pagan survival and not related to the saint. While I don't agree with those who argue that the festival is a modern creation of greeting card companies, the argument that it pertains to the saint beyond sharing his feast day is equally untenable.I think there is a problem with festivals that create barriers to participation by creating interpersonal and familial relationship entry requirements. As Christmas and American Thanksgiving have gradually become holidays that fete the family rather than Jesus or the harvest, they have become increasingly associated with feelings of inadequacy and suicide attempts. I am equally concerned about Valentine's Day; again, one is barred from celebrating the festival properly if one does not meet cultural requirements for how one's social life is organized. In my view, holidays that claim to be universal should be constituted as inclusive things. But as Christmas changes from being church-centred to family-centred, more and more people are left out; as Thanksgiving goes from being harvest-centred to family-centred people are excluded. Valentine's Day is the worst of these festivals because it excludes a larger portion of the population and offers no alternative means of observance to those whom it excludes.</blockquote>

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