THE DAY OF the red rose or Valentine’s Day is back another time. We all know Valentine was a saint, whose day of martyrdom, February 14, got linked somehow to celebration of love every year, in every part of the world. Sending gifts, flowers, partying and expressing love is what Valentine’s Day is all about. Lovers, husbands, wives, parents and children and even friends reaffirm their love and good feelings for the dear one on this day.

 

Long back, this day was observed only by young men and women who used to send gifts, messages and red roses to their lovers. Much later it got actually associated with St Valentine. Another tradition attributes the observance of the day to the fact that the Valentine time coincides with the mating season for birds. It, therefore, was an appropriate season for young people to choose their Valentine or lovers. It owed its origin to the belief that it was at the beginning of the second fortnight of February that the birds began to mate.

Earlier Valentines used handmade boxes of lace and paper with coloured designs. They were decorated with frills and inscriptions of passionate words of love, depending on the sender’s imagination.

 

The printed Valentines are an outgrowth of these earlier homemade creations. They conveyed thoughts, sentiments, friendliness and affection. Comic and crude types were discontinued and plain cards came into prominence. Now sending Valentine cards has become the general practice.

 

While it is good time for card and gift sellers, there have been an opposition to its observance. There are sections and activists who feel that such a day should not be celebrated. Wherever they go, there is chaos and destruction. Be it a gift shop or any party place where the day is celebrated. Maybe they have the right reasons and justifications for opposing Valentine’s Day. But who cares!

 

If you are among those who doesn’t care two hoots about anti-Valentine hoodlums, here is what you should be doing: Shine your shoes, search your wardrobes, colour your hair, and tattoo your body before the party time on February 14. Communicate to your dear one what’s in your heart. As the saying goes, try and try till you succeed. Sure somebody would say, “yes”.