Valentine's Day

What does Valentine’s Day Mean to You? Who celebrates Valentine’s Day?

There are legends attached to this Day and it is celebrated in many countries throughout the world. One of the oldest tells about St Valentine, a priest who was persecuted and imprisoned by the Roman Emperor Claudius II because he refused to turn his back on his religion, Christianity. Before he was executed, he healed his jailer’s daughter of her blindness. On the eve of his execution, a note was sent to the girl whom he had healed and befriended, signed “From your Valentine”.

Through the years, February 14, St Valentine’s Day evolved to become a day when friends and lovers expressed their love for one another. It has ceased to be of any religious significance.

Today it has become very commercialized with restaurants offering special menus to celebrate the occasion. Jewellers have jumped on the bandwagon by promoting jewellery in the shape of hearts to symbolize love. The newspapers have advertisements of heart-shaped pieces of jewellery from various jewelers.

Florists import lots of red roses as they carry the message of love. Men will buy their beloved red roses and chocolates as well as jewellery if they can afford the outrageous prices.

Others may send special valentine cards.

I remember in my school days, our teachers encouraged us to make our own valentine cards to give our friends with the message “Be my Valentine” as they told us that Valentine’s Day is also a day to celebrate friendship as well as love. We could also give Valentine cards to our family members.

It was never a Day when we had to spend lots of money. I remember exchanging a self-made Valentine card with my best friend. However things became more exciting when cards were received from anonymous admirers who may have been too shy to reveal their identities, especially from members of the opposite sex.

Today it seems de rigueur to give your girl friend or spouse red roses and have an expensive evening out, dining and wining in restaurants. A gift is also expected!

Unfortunately, there have been fallouts when this practice is not followed, usually due to a lack of money. So what should have been an enjoyable evening turns unpleasant and hurtful or humiliating to one partner. Expectations run high in a materialistic society especially when there is competition and peer pressure, the need to do what everyone else is doing and to go one better.

Some couples decide to get engaged on this day while others tie the knot as they feel it is romantic to do so and they will find it easier to remember their anniversary.

However, there have been controversial statements made in the press that celebrating Valentine’s Day is a no-no as it is perceived to encourage immoral liaisons, that it is a western practice that Asians can do without. As the cliché goes, the world is a global village.

People usually do what others do, what more with the barrage of advertisements calling for reservations for Valentine’s Day dinners, love tokens, roses and all the rest of it. All I know is that it has become an expensive occasion and the more sensible ones will just enjoy the evening as they see fit, with or without the roses.

What is more important is that Valentine's Day is also about celebrating friendships and remembering your friends and it's not all about lovers only.

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