BY EVANS MATHANDA
THE red colour dominated parts of Harare’s central business district this past week.
Red wrapping papers and gift bags besieged the capital city. Red flowers competed with the blue sky.
It was a demonstration that indeed love is beautiful. Zimbabweans were celebrating Valentine’s Day.
As Valentine’s Day is celebrated around the world on February 14, married and dating couples have their own way of sending love messages to each other.
Hearts, and heart-shaped treats, red and white, and everything else in between the day characterised as Valentine’s Day!
In Zimbabwe, there were mixed feelings towards Valentine’s Day celebrations.
Some believe love has been commercialised. Can it be expressed in material things or is it just an excuse for commercialism?
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Some relationship therapists have hammered business owners saying there is no doubt that Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse for many businesses to promote themselves.
But somehow, this doesn’t mean that the celebrations are completely artificial.
It all depends on how different views and thoughts are concerning this tradition.
For some people, spending the day treating their loved ones is what makes the day complete.
For this reason, one must also understand that it is the matters of the heart that count.
As soon as Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are over, many shops usually display their novelty gifts and ideas for Valentine’s Day.
The fact is, if there was no such celebration, people wouldn’t dream of buying most of what is advertised.
Is this just a consumer trend much like fast fashion?
Many of those gifts are bought as genuine gestures of affection, or for the more economically minded, as proof that they are invested in the relationship.
But the fact that the date has become so commercialised can also be a real turnoff to some men who feel obligated to buy valentine’s gifts.
But some consider it a cherished day of romantic paradise while for others, February 14 triggers feelings of loathing and revulsion.
It’s just a bag of mixed emotions.
February is considered to be the month of love, but some people say Valentine’s Day does not exist.
On February 14, 2022, lovers expressed their affection with greetings and gifts.
The day has expanded to express affection between relatives and friends.
Hearts, roses and kisses are part and parcel of Valentine’s Day, which has been celebrated with displays of romance and affection for centuries in Western nations and parts of Africa.
However, the beautiful day has turned out to put more pressure on the youths, especially the males who are expected to buy gifts for their loved ones.
In some countries, men have created a spooky event called the Men’s Conference.
Apparently towards every Valentine’s Day, they claim to be attending the hallowed conference, which ends on February 15, a day after valentine’s celebrations.
At this conference, it is believed that men are taught the “greater” basics of being a good man.
The conference is mainly about how to get one over the women folk. That is the overarching theme.
A video circulated last week on social media of men in a queue to pay for Valentine’s gifts.
The video attracted debates on Twitter with some people saying Valentine’s Day gave men unnecessary pressure.
But the matters of love depends on the quality of love and the players involved and not what other people say.
In other terms, Valentine’s Day gives couples an opportunity to relearn and redefine what it means to love and be loved.
Maybe it is a better way to go through the love journey. But to some, it can end in tears.
Since it started, Valentine’s Day has been a wildly fickle holiday.
No one is safe, not even married couples. Some years are romantic, some are brutal and chaotic while some are honestly boring.
The day is just unpredictable and full of uncertainties. One cannot assume what someone is feeling about love.
Research has shown that romantic relationships are more likely to end on or around February 14 compared to almost any other time of the year.
The allegations are that some cannot bear the pressure of seeing some couples sending and receiving Valentine’s gifts.
Some young women feel valued and loved when they receive a Valentine’s gift.
But what about receiving a gift on an ordinary day. Is there any difference?
- Evans Mathanda is a journalist and development practitioner who writes in his personal capacity. For feedback email: [email protected] or call 0719770038 and Twitter @EvansMathanda19
