Valentine’s Day is a day dedicated to love and is celebrated with great splendor in all the countries of the world. Couples celebrate this special day on the 14th of February every year by spending time with each other and gifting their beloved with flowers, soft toys etc. to name a few. Even though it is not a public holiday unlike other major festivals like Christmas, it can be classified as a unique day of love. This day was popularised by the Catholic Church and nowadays many online and offline shopping sites offer special discounts on gifts and flowers which has further promoted the concept.
Origin of Valentine’s Day Celebration
Valentine’s Day Celebration has its roots in ancient Rome. In fact, the name Valentine is associated with a Catholic Priest named Saint Valentine who is said to have lived in Rome in the 3rd century. The day got its name because Saint Valentine was instrumental in helping soldiers to get married secretly as the kingdom ruled by Emperor Claudius II had passed strict laws which prohibited soldiers from getting married. On getting to know about this Claudius took the drastic step of imprisoning Saint Valentine. The story also goes on to say that, while in prison, the Saint helped the jailor’s blind daughter by helping her to regain her eyesight. He even wrote letters to the girl regularly signing them as ‘from your Valentine’. The King was enraged on finding of this and he finally issued orders to execute Saint Valentine on the 14th of February 270.Hence in memory of the great saint, people celebrate the day as Valentine’s Day.
Gifts associated with Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a day to gift something special for a beloved. It may range from simple greetings cards to expensive jewellery. The concept of gifting on this day began in the Victorian era in ancient England. Initially, gifts usually comprised of handmade attractive greeting cards with poems or lines about love.People made use of several symbols like ribbons hearts, flowers, lace, or figures of Cupid to decorate these Saint Valentine’s Day Cards as they were popularly known. Eventually, these symbols got associated with Valentine’s Day and even to this day gifts for this special day are adorned with the same. Then people started exchanging flowers and other gifts as years went by.
Everyone knows about the revolution internet brought about in the realm of shopping. Several e-commerce sites dedicated to gifting options are available today. People are spoilt for choice in this era of ready-made gifts
But it also has its advantages. Some sites like India Flower Mall are well organized and have a separate section for valentine day gifts. One can just log-in and choose the best one from the huge catalog of available options. Colourful bouquets of flowers, beautiful gift hampers, chocolates, cute soft toys and gift vouchers are the most preferred ones. Couples also indulge in buying unique gifts such as watches, jewellery, clothes, perfumes etc. Some just prefer to spend time with their loved one and they hence plan to go out for dinners or visit exotic places. Valentines Day – A Celebration of Love has thus emerged as a day meant for cherishing the moments and gifts for couples in love.