Come February, and there is a sudden rush of love in the air. Just like December has the Christmassy feels to it, February turns into a mushy affair for those who are successful in their romantic affairs. The malls turn red with balloons and ribbons, clothing stores display satin red outfits, restaurants offer discounts for couples. Forget the bigger establishments, something as small as chocolate wrappers differ! It is also the best time for florists after the wedding season. Love becomes extravagant and a showy display of feelings.

Think of it, very few people know why the day is even celebrated. Yes, it marks the death of some Saint Valentine but what more do we know about him? All the concentration is on choosing the best gifts for your partner, which is where the gift shops win, and they win big! And with a flaunting race that exists in the social media space, it is no less than a challenge to pick the best for your partner. Greeting card makers have time to rejoice.

To tell you a bit of history, the day began with a Roman Festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. The celebrations included boys drawing names of girls from a box and the pair would be partners during the festival. These pairs ended up as partners for a lifetime! *cough cough* Are you marrying your Valentine later? (I wonder how many of you irked at the question). During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day should be a day for romance. Legends state there were 3 saints by the same name, all of whom were martyred on the same date 14th February. And now we commonly know of the day as the martyrdom of St. Valentine. A popular legend among them remains St. Valentine was not pleasing to Roman emperor Claudius II, who prohibited marriage of young men for them to become soldiers. St. Valentine instead helped these people to get married and was thus executed.

Making the most of the idea of exchanging cards of love, it was the gift shops which cashed in on the opportunity. From meagre greeting cards to now designing heart-shaped artefacts, ready-made love notes, photo-frames or other ‘unique’ gifts, it has become a business to market on. A shopping spree for your partner, planning a big surprise or giving a number of small gifts to make it special, it is a time to advertise and commercialize your feelings. What’s cringe-worthy is how a gesture of love is made out into a day full of celebration. So, begins the whole week of Valentines’, which has a Rose day, Chocolate day, Hug day, Kiss day and the likes. You know the drill?

This week is a shopping extravaganza for the Archies, Hallmark and the commercial brands’ stores out there. Couples swarm in and mostly end up buying more than one gift. Then there are even those who do not want to feel left out and go to buy gifts for their friends. Be it a red coloured pillow which you are just going to keep in a corner later, or a teddy bear which lays unattended while you’re away, these gifts always have buyers.

Think of it lovers, do you really need to splurge and show it off? How is that greeting card going to increase your love quotient? Is that watch you gift giving you the time of your love? Or is that bouquet which goes into the dump 2 days later, relive the aroma of a long-lasting relationship? How do you not realise that you are falling into a trap to commercialize your feelings? Honestly, the best you can do is invest in the shares and stocks of companies like Archies, Nestle, Titan because of the demands surge. Make money out of others spending out of ‘love’ and impress your partner, win-win?

We do not promote an anti-valentine stance, but it is worth a thought. Are we doing it because the world is doing it in all glory or are we doing it because we want to showcase love? And from when does love need the red ‘colour of love’ splash showcase? It does since there are heart-popping up cards available.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 01, 2018 07:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).