When you think of it, it is rather strange that a festival that had its origins in a pagan ritual has come to become one of the most important, commercial ventures of the modern day. And mind you, there is very little that is religious about this festival. Each year, in February, scores of young, middle aged and even old people sit up and take a look at their personal lives to cater to this festival. If you haven’t already guessed what it is, I’m talking about Valentines Day here!
February the 14th, or Valentines Day holds a special place in my heart. Like scores of other incurable romantics, I too proposed to my childhood sweet heart on Valentines Day. And now, several years later, I can gladly say that we are still together, and still celebrate Valentines Day together. For both of us, the day has a special significance. While we did not get married on Valentines Day as several couples are wont to do, we did decide to spend the rest of our lives together on that day. Which is what makes it so special! But it is when you look at the ringing cash registers of major retailers that you will realize that Valentines Day is a very important day for them too! Valentines Day, which started off as a pagan festival to celebrate the coming of spring, has grown to become the most important commercial season in the books of almost all major retailers in the present world.
If you take a look at the shops and malls around you, you will realize the truth of this statement. Major clothing stores have their own Valentines Day designs. These designs flood the markets and the malls from December itself, and the young and the young at heart gladly lap them up. Even jewelry stores make a killing during Valentines Day. Most of them seize the opportunity to introduce new and novel designs of jewelry as this is the season that has proven to be the most lucrative one for them. Even hotels and restaurants witness a flurry of bookings during Valentines Day. But the biggest business opportunity, and especially one that is worth millions of dollars, belongs to the greeting cards, flowers and chocolate manufacturers.
No Valentines Day, no matter on how small a budget can do without a card to profess your love, a big bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. Together, these three items have their biggest and best sales during Valentines Day. The season itself is one of celebration and what better way to say it than through the killer combination of flowers, cards and chocolate? In the United States, sales directly attributed to Valentines Day total billion of dollars. But not all countries are open to or welcome Valentines Day.
Maybe it is due to the hype created in the Western World, but more conservative nations, especially the Islamic nations, eschew Valentines Day as a waste of time at best and as a corrupter of morality at worst. It is not uncommon to see news reports of destruction of property or even jailing of celebrants during this time.
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