Saint Valentine’s Day is a global celebration of love, celebrated annually on February 14th which commemorates the death anniversary of one of the Christian martyr named Saint Valentine. 

 The earlier customs associated with Valentine’s day were not romantic at all. Valentine’s Day has evolved into a day dedicated to lovers. Even in the media, Valentine’s Day is portrayed as a day for lovers.

It wasn’t until the Middle Ages, though, that the holiday became associated with love and romance when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts.  While a red rose has traditionally symbolized love, other colours like deep pink, purple, or white which symbolize happiness, royalty, and sympathy respectively may  also be given.

Valentine’s Day, on the other hand, has a much broader appeal, it is a day for expressing love, and that love can be for anyone, not just a lover, it  has attracted various reactions from several individuals, some feel indifferent about the day, while some see it as an opportunity to get nice gifts and go on a dinner, to others it is an opportunity to sell things like flowers, chocolate, or jewelry; however, many see no reason  why they should celebrate  because of being single.

When asked what Valentine’s Day means to him and how he plans to spend the day, Mr. Njoku, a businessman, said it is a day to show love to family, friends, and well-wishers. He also stated that he would be spending the day at work as Valentine’s Day would not provide him food.

Miss Joyce, a student, emphasised that while gift giving is not required for spreading love, showing concern and checking in on one another goes a long way, especially in difficult times like this in Nigeria.

Speaking with Mr. Seyi, a biker/okada man, it was discovered that he believes Valentine’s Day is only celebrated by the wealthy.

He said ” Na person way get money dey do valentine day”.

Meanwhile, Rev. Father Ernest, a Catholic priest, stated that while Valentine’s Day is a day to spread agape love, it is frequently misinterpreted as a day to spread eros love. He opined that spreading love should not be a one-time occurrence, but rather a continuous one. Rev. Father Ernest also stated that in order to spread genuine love, we must first love ourselves.

It is important to also note that Valentine’s Day is not only meant to be celebrated between lovers or couples but it’s a day to celebrate all types of relationships. This can mean expressing how much you love your family members, co-workers, little ones, or furry friends.

Although the day is interpreted as an opportunity to celebrate love and affection with our loved ones, we should emulate Saint Valentine who showed and encouraged love among people by being selfless in putting smiles on people’s faces through the love we share not only on Valentine’s day.

The day is not just for receiving gifts, it’s for sharing love whether you are single or not, Valentine’s Day is all about being in love and celebrating love. Some people also mark Valentine’s Day as a self-love day and indulge themselves by splurging on self-care or participating in activities they love.