February 9, 2010

Valentine's day is celebrated on February 14 every year. This day is officially called Saint Valentine's day but nobody knows who was Saint Valentine and why this particular day is named after him.

Valentine was an early Christian martyr but not much is known about him. One of the earlier popes, Pope Gelasius I established the holiday in 496 AD.

'It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery and sending greeting cards.'

This last quote is from Wikipedia under the definition of the holiday.

I have a very big problem with this holiday and with a few other similar ones.

First we came a long way from what the quote implies as far as the observance is. Thanks to the total commercialization of every holiday and observance, every important day lost its characteristics and importance.

Merchants are trying to outdo each other and themselves by offering jewelry, clothing, special dinners and other varieties for this one day. In the process they are making everybody feel guilty who is not running to the jewelry store and buys a diamond bracelet or any such item.

My thing is that I love my wife very much. I love her 365 days (or 366 as it may be) a year. To me every day is Valentine's day. I don't need one special day to show her my love.

This is not a cop-out so I wouldn't have to buy her anything. But we both refuse to run to the stores and spend money on something that is overpriced just for this occasion. We buy each other presents throughout the year.

This is similar to confessions. One commits a crime, confesses to the priest, gets absolution and everything is hunky-dory.

One is mean and rotten to his or her partner all year, buys the person a present for Valentine's day and everything is back to basics.

To me the whole thing looks false and phony.

Let's talk about Mother's Day. That day is traditionally the second Sunday in May. The entire world observes it on the first Sunday in May but the US has to be different.

This is the same thing as Valentine's day. Somebody who is mean to his mother thinks that by being nice on that one single day will repair the damages that occurred during the year.

Another thing that I hate to see. If one goes to a restaurant on Mother's Day he is invariably apt to see large groups of people at various tables. I assume these people are families who got together to celebrate their mother.

In many cases the ladies are quite old, and are sitting at the head of the table dressed nice and with a large corsage.

The rest of the family is busily engaged in conversations with each other while nobody seem very interested in the guest of honor.

She is sitting there smiling, putting on an air of utter happiness while probably thinking that it would be more fun being back in the home with her friends where she is comfortable and loved.

At the end of the gathering she is asked by everyone present if she had a good time for which she dutifully answers that this was the best time she ever had. She always loved to be ignored and disregarded and this day was full of it.

Why people can not show love toward their parents all year, every year. Most of them deserve it.

Love has to be shown while they are here because later on it will be too late.