Today, we celebrate love on 14th February and call it St. Valentine’s Day
Digital Desk: Today our celebrations of Valentine’s Day are all lovey-dovey, mush-mush, soft, cosy.
I mean, for those who celebrate.
It’s a rather new-fangled celebration in our part of the world, but a cute one.
A day commemorated to love! That’s awesome, from any viewpoint. Naysayers argue what’s so great about one day being dedicated to love, when each day ought to be infused with love? But that’s like saying, why have any commemoration altogether? Each day we are patriotic, why celebrate our patriotism on particular days, we may ask? And we all know the answer.
A day dedicated to a purpose makes us pause in the midst of our busy schedules, and make time for some reflection, some action to acknowledge and celebrate the said cause.
So, coming back to Valentine’s day, many are unaware of the tragic circumstances that surround the execution ofSt.Valentineby the cruel Roman emperor Claudius in the 3rd century. The date was 14 February.
He secretly performed marriages of young couples, defying the ban on such unions by the cruel emperor. He had to pay with the supreme sacrifice of his life, when the tyrant discovered his activities.
So today, we celebrate love on 14th February and call it St. Valentine’s Day. Today, we pop the all-important question with his name, “Will you be my Valentine?”
So, how do you choose to observe it?
Dismiss it as a ‘western’ concept, or be open with the idea of the world being a global village where we share in the good practices across borders?
Commercialisation has no doubt tried to make a fast buck by extending Valentine’s day into a week, bringing in all sorts of inanities like Rose day, teddy day, chocolate day etc- as if gifting these to one’s beloved is a compulsory act bearing serious consequences on omission! But that apart, even if the exact date has passed you by without any fanfare, make time in the name of St. Valentine to express your love in word and deed. Although it is the thought that counts the most, words and deeds are also needed to seal the bonds of love.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
(The writer is a Life Coach and Senior Soft Skills trainer; and can be reached at atifa@comeaspire.net)
-Atifa Deshamukhya
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