More than a month ago, I found myself staring at an advertisement in a newspaper. The bold pink letters announced the arrival of the greatest day in human history. I scoffed and turned the page. Don’t take me wrong because I wasn’t ridiculing something like Martyr’s Day or Republic Day and they deserve more attention and publicity than they get. The day being advertised in the newspaper, however, is the most hyped and perhaps, the most depressing day ever invented in the course of human history - Valentine’s Day.
I am pretty sure that the 14th of February was not as commercial or saccharine as it is today. The tradition of celebrating this day started in ancient Rome. The 14th of February was marked as a holiday to honour Juno, the queen of Roman gods and goddesses. She was also known to the Romans as the goddess of women and marriage. The Feast Of Lupercalia was held the following day, the 15th of February.
One version says that St. Valentine was a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on the 14th of February, 269 A.D., the same day marked for love lotteries. Another version says that during the reign of Emperor Claudius, the Roman Army was rather small and finding new recruits was difficult. The Emperor believed that the reason for the low number was that the men did not want to leave their wives and families. In a rather cruel move, he cancelled all marriages and engagements. St. Valentine, a Roman priest and St. Marius helped Christian martyrs and also got couples married secretly. When they were found out, the Prefect of Rome condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and have his head cut off.
Perhaps, it is for the best that St. Valentine is not alive today to see what his brainchild has morphed into - a commercialized monster growing from the profits that it makes every year. I was walking past a previously lonely stationery shop in my neighbourhood and was stunned to see that every corner was crammed with sickeningly sweet red and pink balloons. The shop, that was almost completely obscure over two months ago, was filled with mushy couples giggling over the merchandise.
Today you can’t walk down the road without being harassed by huge boards stating that you need love in your dismal, lonely life. Now, if you interpret it correctly, what they are really saying is that they need more money to publicise themselves and therefore, we need to help them by falling in love and indulging in some serious shopping on V - day! So, along with the pressure to become a doctor or an engineer and get married, we are now pressurized to fall in love.
On top of that, our inboxes are now flooded with emails demanding to know whether you “have found the right man” or whether you are “really in love”. Special programs aired on the television interview celebrity couples on Valentine’s Day asking them how they fell in love and how they keep the “magic” alive. The worst part, however, is that in certain parts of the city, you cannot wear certain colours on “the day” and expect to survive on the roads. You are usually mistaken for a lovelorn girl searching for the right guy. No doubt if I wear a colour that says I’m available, it is my fault but then again, after the basic shades, you pretty much run out of colours!
Along with this comes a new warped definition of love. “Love is blind”, “love has no reason” are thrown in your face when you give rather logical reasons for not having a boyfriend. However, the love that we connect to Valentine’s Day is as false as it can get. As Maurice Chevalier once said, “Many a man has fallen in love with a girl in a light so dim he would not have chosen a suit by it.” While I personally have nothing against the idea of love, there are a few aspects I disagree with. However, the one thing that I appreciate about the modern idea of love is that it’s more sensible than it used to be. While critics may say that true love has taken a step back by depending on the size of someone’s wallet, I think common sense has grown by leaps and bounds. It is definitely better than falling for a pauper and regretting it for the rest of your life.
Coming back to our topic at hand, a friend once told me, “I don’t understand why Valentine’s Day is meant only for the couples. Shouldn’t it be a day when you get to spend time with your loved ones? Valentine’s Day is now seen as a day when men go broke as they rush to buy flowers and gifts for their girlfriends. Frankly, it’s of no use because by the next Valentine’s Day, they’re doing the same thing for someone else.
I can’t say that Valentine’s Day passes without affecting anyone, even the toughest at heart. Everyone, in a way, celebrates it whether they like it or criticise its existence to no end. There are two ways in which different people celebrate V-day. The first way is very common - to go out with your partner and celebrate the day with flowers, gifts, the works. The second method is to sit in front of the telly all day, watching romantic comedies and guzzling down bar after bar of dark chocolate. No prizes for guessing what I did this Valentine’s Day!!
I am pretty sure that the 14th of February was not as commercial or saccharine as it is today. The tradition of celebrating this day started in ancient Rome. The 14th of February was marked as a holiday to honour Juno, the queen of Roman gods and goddesses. She was also known to the Romans as the goddess of women and marriage. The Feast Of Lupercalia was held the following day, the 15th of February.
One version says that St. Valentine was a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on the 14th of February, 269 A.D., the same day marked for love lotteries. Another version says that during the reign of Emperor Claudius, the Roman Army was rather small and finding new recruits was difficult. The Emperor believed that the reason for the low number was that the men did not want to leave their wives and families. In a rather cruel move, he cancelled all marriages and engagements. St. Valentine, a Roman priest and St. Marius helped Christian martyrs and also got couples married secretly. When they were found out, the Prefect of Rome condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and have his head cut off.
Perhaps, it is for the best that St. Valentine is not alive today to see what his brainchild has morphed into - a commercialized monster growing from the profits that it makes every year. I was walking past a previously lonely stationery shop in my neighbourhood and was stunned to see that every corner was crammed with sickeningly sweet red and pink balloons. The shop, that was almost completely obscure over two months ago, was filled with mushy couples giggling over the merchandise.
Today you can’t walk down the road without being harassed by huge boards stating that you need love in your dismal, lonely life. Now, if you interpret it correctly, what they are really saying is that they need more money to publicise themselves and therefore, we need to help them by falling in love and indulging in some serious shopping on V - day! So, along with the pressure to become a doctor or an engineer and get married, we are now pressurized to fall in love.
On top of that, our inboxes are now flooded with emails demanding to know whether you “have found the right man” or whether you are “really in love”. Special programs aired on the television interview celebrity couples on Valentine’s Day asking them how they fell in love and how they keep the “magic” alive. The worst part, however, is that in certain parts of the city, you cannot wear certain colours on “the day” and expect to survive on the roads. You are usually mistaken for a lovelorn girl searching for the right guy. No doubt if I wear a colour that says I’m available, it is my fault but then again, after the basic shades, you pretty much run out of colours!
Along with this comes a new warped definition of love. “Love is blind”, “love has no reason” are thrown in your face when you give rather logical reasons for not having a boyfriend. However, the love that we connect to Valentine’s Day is as false as it can get. As Maurice Chevalier once said, “Many a man has fallen in love with a girl in a light so dim he would not have chosen a suit by it.” While I personally have nothing against the idea of love, there are a few aspects I disagree with. However, the one thing that I appreciate about the modern idea of love is that it’s more sensible than it used to be. While critics may say that true love has taken a step back by depending on the size of someone’s wallet, I think common sense has grown by leaps and bounds. It is definitely better than falling for a pauper and regretting it for the rest of your life.
Coming back to our topic at hand, a friend once told me, “I don’t understand why Valentine’s Day is meant only for the couples. Shouldn’t it be a day when you get to spend time with your loved ones? Valentine’s Day is now seen as a day when men go broke as they rush to buy flowers and gifts for their girlfriends. Frankly, it’s of no use because by the next Valentine’s Day, they’re doing the same thing for someone else.
I can’t say that Valentine’s Day passes without affecting anyone, even the toughest at heart. Everyone, in a way, celebrates it whether they like it or criticise its existence to no end. There are two ways in which different people celebrate V-day. The first way is very common - to go out with your partner and celebrate the day with flowers, gifts, the works. The second method is to sit in front of the telly all day, watching romantic comedies and guzzling down bar after bar of dark chocolate. No prizes for guessing what I did this Valentine’s Day!!
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