Happy Valentines Day- Romance, Love Or Lust - 14 Feb 2008

Yup what else can you write about if not Valentines Day today. Seeing the happy faces of my colleagues receiving bouquet of flowers today it made me to wonder whether they do know the origins of Valentines Day. I see it as a very mysterious day as it does not only bring joy, happiness in peoples life but it also brings political unrest in some countries. Every Valentines day you read in the newspapers about demonstrations asking for a ban on this day of LOVE. But why only on this day do we talk about GOD, Love and Lust etc. Take Thailand for example they actually imposed a ban on teenagers from checking into hotels on this day to prevent them from having SEX. The Thai Government announced yesterday that they are going to raid hotels & Motels on Valentines Day to arrest teenagers having SEX. I mean coming from a country having the highest no of prostitutes in the world and the largest country in the world whose population is affected with AIDS. But hey man.. this is Valentines Day. Never mind about Thailand take a look at India where there were violent-street-demonstrations today led by the right-wing Hindu party seeking a ban on Valentines Day and describing it as a day of Shame and Lust. And of course not to forget political -demonstration in the Middle East with the right-wing Muslim leaders announcing that they will Kill any Muslim celebrating the "American Culture". Hello! This is not American Culture and it has no origins in America. Please know your History. But just imagine, a day that comes only once a year can cause the world at large to react in many ways. Perhaps they should listen to our Prime Minister who once said that there is so much of empty space in our heart to LOVE DIFFERENT PEOPLE. Perhaps the world should heed his advise and I am sure there will be less violence in this cruel world. But is Valentines Day just about Making-Money today? Read on my friends

Romance, love, lust, big business or plain indifference, February 14th brings with it Valentine's Day. Research reveals that most Malaysians from all-walks-of-life (Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and etc - even the orang asli) celebrate Valentines Day. Furthermore, women purchase approximately four out of every five Valentine cards and receive nearly half of all cards. Yet, men buy more cards for this day than any other except Mother's day. In these modern times, Valentine's Day is celebrated by exchanging cards and gifts -- flowers, chocolates, cookies and candies -- and also by spending time together with their Valentines(Yup.. candle- light diner.. and ahem! ahem! , enjoying pastimes such as eating out, parties, movie theater and other romantic outings.

But have you ever wondered where did the Valentine's Day tradition begin? Is romance still alive and well? Can the romantically involved as well as the uninvolved single celebrate with equal gusto? The answer is definitely yes. What does the younger generation think of Valentine's Day? Relax and read on more even if I am boring you.

THE ORIGIN OF VALENTINE'S DAY
There are varying opinions about the actual origins of Valentine's Day. Some experts say it started when the Roman emperor Claudius II had a difficult time recruiting men into his army. He believed it was because men wanted to stay home with their loves and their wives. To solve the problem, he decided to outlaw marriage for all young single men. However, there was a Roman priest named Valentine who did not agree and wed couples in secret. He was eventually discovered, thrown in prison and sentenced to death on February the 14th. Legend says that he had befriended the young blind daughter (What do you expect from someone with the name Valentine) of his jailer and that on the day of his execution, he sent a note to his young friend signing it, "From your Valentine." Some take the story further and say that when the young girl opened the note, a yellow crocus flower fell into her hand and for the first time in her life she saw brilliant color and could see.
For other origins, we can go back to an early Pagan festival of fertility as early as the fourth century BC. February 15th was set aside for the Roman feast of Lupercalia, a celebration of Spring and fertility in honor of Lupercus, the Roman god who was believed to be the protector of shepherds and flocks. Animals were sacrificed, feasts were held and it is believed that young women wrote love letters and left them in a large urn. Young men would then draw a note from the urn and pin it to their sleeves (hence the saying "wearing his heart on his sleeve"). Once the young man found the woman who wrote the note, the couple would be intimately joined until the next Lupercalia. We are told that women did have a choice in the matter and could indeed say no to a would-be lover.
Where do Cupid and that famous symbol of the bow and arrow come from? Well, apparently there is no link but the Cherub, actual name Eros, fits in so well with the story that he has become the accepted St. Valentine's Day mascot.

VALENTINE'S DAY IN OTHER COUNTRIES
There are many different customs celebrated around the world on this day of love and romance. For example in Scotland, equal numbers of young unmarried men and women get together and write their names on a piece of paper. The notes are put into hats, one for the men and one for the women. The names are divided up. Individuals might get more than one name but are supposed to stay with the Valentine who has chosen them. In Spain, courting couples exchange gifts. Husbands send their wives roses. In Italy it was customary for an engaged couple to announce their engagement on this day. In Malaysia.. yes we too buy Roses for our Valentines. Worldwide, poets and romantics have penned their admiration and love on this auspicious occasion. Other rituals and beliefs associated with Valentine's Day include picking a dandelion that has gone to seed, taking a deep breath and blowing the seeds into the wind while voicing an alternate "He loves me, he loves me not." In some countries a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man; if she keeps the gift, it means she will marry him. The list goes on from love seats to loving spoons and loving cup traditions. What about color when thinking about giving roses? It is said that red roses are for passion, white for true love, yellow for friendship, pink for joy and black for goodbye.

VALENTINE'S DAY NOWADAYS
Is Valentine's Day really a special opportunity when we all can turn our thoughts momentarily to love and romance, or has it become big business to the point that it's now over-commercialized and has lost its true meaning? I asked a group of young people and rather surprisingly, they did not seem excited. Most thought Valentine's Day is okay if you are dating someone; others said if you are with someone, you should love them and be romantic every day, and that having Valentine's Day actually puts conditions and pressure on love Some even went to the extent of saying it is just a way for guys to get 'something' at night. What do you mean by 'something'?Hello.. we all are grown-ups. This is not PG rated. 'Something' means SEX. Anyways, I beg to differ with my colleague on this. Most agreed that they would probably buy someone a card and nearly everyone said they would be happy to receive a Valentine's Day card or gift eventhough some said they don't care whether they receive flowers or not. Yeah Right. Deep down every girls heart she would definintely feel SPECIAL receiving that special bouquet of flowers on this special day. Please don't deny it okay?
Next I turned my attention to singles. What do they think about Valentine's Day and how do they celebrate? Some said they will ignore it. Others will treat themselves and do something special, saying love and romanticism should be celebrated with or without a partner. So the news is good. Overall, even with our hectic lives, the idea of love is alive and well, and millions of people are out there plotting and planning the perfect Valentine surprise, gift or card. May the right-wing people the terrorist explore the world and grow-up to understand that it is not an 'American Culture'. It is 'WORLD CULTURE' today . MAKE LOVE NOT WAR. Happy Valentines Day.