Happy Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romantic love occurring annually on February 14.

Although it is associated by legend with a Catholic saint named Valentine, Valentine’s Day is not a religious holiday and never really has been. Valentine’s Day has historical roots mainly in Greco-Roman pagan fertility festivals and the medieval notion that birds pair off to mate on February 14.

The custom of exchanging cards and other tokens of love on February 14 began to develop in England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries and became especially popular in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. Over the last decade or so, Valentine’s Day observance has even spread to the Far East, India, and the Middle East.

The primary custom associated with St. Valentine’s Day is the mutual exchange of love notes called valentines. Common symbols on valentines are hearts, the colors red and pink, and the figure of the winged Cupid.

Starting in the 19th century, the practice of hand writing notes began to give way to the exchange of mass-produced greeting cards. These cards are no longer given just to lovers, but also to friends, family, classmates and coworkers. Valentine cards are often accompanied by tiny candy hearts with affectionate messages printed on them.

The Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentine cards are sent worldwide each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year, behind Christmas. The association also estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

In the last 50 years or so, especially in the United States, the practice of exchanging cards has been extended to include the giving of gifts, usually from a man to his girlfriend or wife. The most popular Valentine’s Day gifts are roses and chocolate. Starting in the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion for the giving of fine jewelry. Many couples also schedule a romantic dinner date on Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day Controversy in India and the Middle East

Valentine’s Day only arrived in India a few years ago, but it has quickly gained popularity among young urban people along with a great deal of controversy among conservative Hindus. Traditional Hindu culture discourages public displays of affection between the sexes, including hand-holding, which Valentine’s Day encourages, and Valentine’s Day is also resented by some as a Christian and western influence.

In 2004, militant Hindu nationalists threatened to beat the faces and shave the heads of those who participated in Valentine’s Day customs. “We will not allow westernization of Indian culture as St. Valentine was a Christian and celebrating Valentine’s Day would be a violation of Indian culture,” said Ved Prakash Sachchan, of the militant Hindu organization Bajrang Dal, in Uttar Pradesh. Similarly, a leader of the radical Hindu group Shiv Sena has condemned the holiday as “nothing but a Western onslaught on India’s culture to attract youth for commercial purposes.” Members of the group have stolen Valentine’s Day greeting cards from a store and ceremonially burned them.

Similar Valentine’s Day backlash has occurred in many Muslim countries. In Pakistan in 2004, the Jamaat-e-Islami party, an Islamist organization, called for a ban on Valentine’s Day. One of its leaders dismissed it as “a shameful day” when Westerners “are just fulfilling and satisfying their sex thirst.” Also in 2004, the government of Saudi Arabia issued an edict declaring that “there are only two holidays in Islam – Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha – and any other holidays … are inventions which Muslims are banned from.” Police closely monitored stores selling roses and some women were arrested for wearing red.

Despite this official opposition from authorities, many people in Middle Eastern countries seem to be enjoying the new holiday. One shopper, buying a red heart-and-rose card for her son-in-law, is reported as having dismissed the backlash as “only rigidity and cultural backwardness. Through the crackdown, they only buy people’s greater hatred and enmity.”

Back home in Calcutta, my friends and families celebrate Valentine’s day and usually people there take time out from there regular routine and spend more quality time with their love ones. I just finished an hour long phone call using my Onesuite account calling my parents and had a long meaningful conversation. I missed my family back home especially at these times not to mention my girlfriend or should I say ex girlfriend who broke up with me on Valentine’s day 2 years ago because she doesn’t want me to go overseas. Well we are still very good friends and talk on the phone from time to time (good thing phone calls now are not that expensive) and exchange emails too. Here I am hoping that someday we will still be together.