Valentine's Day: It's not personal, it's just business (or is it)?

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My two cents on Valentine's Day.





Valentine's Day is coming up, which means flowers and candy and a whole lotta advertising.

Yeah, I'm not really a big fan of Valentine's Day, for a number of reasons.  The true, religious significance of holidays like Christmas or Easter has unfortunately been diluted over time due to commercialization . But there isn't much of a deeper meaning to Valentine's Day to begin with, so it's inherently superficial. 

At least that's what I thought.

According to Wikipedia (yes, I'm allowed to use this as a source, this isn't a college essay-), the origins of Valentine's Day actually trace back to the Roman Empire. The holiday derives its name from St. Valentine.  Apparently, there were many Christian martyrs called Valentine in the early days of the Catholic Church, one of whom died on February 14th. Some legends have sprung up to fill in knowledge gaps created by time. The most popular one is that St. Valentine (who was held in captivity due to spreading the Christian Faith) managed to restore the sight of Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer. Before his execution, St. Valentine wrote a letter to Julia, signing it "Your Valentine." Another legend involves  St. Valentine presiding over secret weddings for Roman soldiers.

Alright, enough history, let's switch to economics...

In the US alone, $25.9 BILLION was spent on Valentine's Day, 2023.  On the day, the average American spent $192.80- 


I'm sorry...

WHAT?! 


Despite being purported as a holiday to celebrate love in general, Valentine's Day mostly tends to focus on romantic love. That's fine. What's not is the stress that can be associated with the occasion. I personally feel like the marketing puts a lot of pressure on men to break the bank to please their special lady-friends. Whilst spending a little extra to treat your significant other is a great thing, such an act should ideally spur from within a person, not from a random billboard. I understand that men are traditionally seen as the breadwinners in a romantic relationship, but breadwinners need bread too. Shouldn't relationships be mutual? Why don't Valentine's adverts encourage gift-giving from both sides? Some men have expressed their dislike for Valentine's Day in various ways. In Kenya, there's a running joke of an annual 'Men's Conference,' held from the 13th to the 15th of February (I assume there's a Women's Conference that runs concurrently).

This isn't just about money either. Valentine's is also a period that brings annual pain to members of the SMA (Single Men's Association) and SWA (Single Women's Association). Certain individuals feel left out just because they're not seeing someone, which can even lead to rushed hook-ups for the sake of having a Valentine. 

I personally feel that Valentine's Day cheapens the concept of romantic love and love in general, which transcends materialistic displays of affection. Having a day set aside to treat the one you love with a bouquet of flowers or a night out is a welcome idea, but the success of such a day shouldn't depend on your income.  One can show love whether they can book a 3-course dinner at a 5-star hotel; or all they can afford is a supermarket-brand chocolate bar. I'm happy about the recent  'Valentine's Splash 2024' which will be held in Mombasa, with the theme of 'Embracing affection within means.' Events of such a nature will hopefully begin to turn around the negative perception of Valentine's Day as an occasion that focuses solely on one's financial capacity or relationship status. Hopefully the holiday will evolve into one that encourages people to display acts of love to people in their lives: be it their spouses, other family members or friends. That's something the world will always need, not just on the 14th of February, but throughout the year.


Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better go get ready for the Men's Conference.

References:

Human Heart Diagram (Wapcaplet, Wikipedia, 2006).

Valentine's Day, (Wikipedia, 2024).

18 Valentine's Day Spending Statistics to know in 2024 (Katie Jay-Simmons,  Meaghan Brophy,  Fit Small Businesses, 2024).

What does the Average American Spend on Valentine's Day? (Oberlo, 2024).




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