Happy Valentines Day – is it all Advertising?
It is a well known celebration that 14th February Valentine’s Day!
There is no discrimination of who can celebrate this day, young or old, women or men, from all walks of life.
People celebrate this day in many different ways; it could be sending cards, flowers, gifts, romantic dinners, or a weekend away. Of course there’s also the present advanced technology, which makes some of us think it’s more efficient sending an email or a text message, buying gifts or vouchers online.
No matter what we choose to do, it is to express our deeper, romantic feeling towards the people we care about. It is almost an excuse and that it is okay for the ‘shy’ ones to allow themselves to express emotions and affections.
So what is Valentine’s Day? Why do we celebrate it in such a way?
First of all, there are many stories told of how Valentine’s Day was originated.
It was mostly believed that during the third century in Rome, Emperor Claudius II felt single men would be better soldiers without thinking of they loved ones, wives and children, and their desire of going home. Therefore marriages were not allowed.
Valentine who was a priest disagreed and thought of it as an injustice, continued to perform marriages for lovers in secret.
His disobedience was discovered, was jailed and died in prison.
To add to this most believed story was that a blind girl who is believed to be the prison officer’s daughter visited him whilst he was in his confinement and he cured the girl’s blindness.
Before he was sent to be beheaded, he wrote a letter to this girl and signed ‘from your Valentine’. Of course to this day this expression is still very popular.
Based on this story, I wonder why is it ‘a gift’ almost a must these days to express our feelings? Does a gift have to be associated with spending money? Does spending more money means greater love? Or have we simply been fooled by clever advertising.
