Valentine’s Day is a day modern history has set aside to celebrate cupids’ efforts and achievements. The history of Valentine’s Day is shrouded in mystery, and any effort to unravel it generally leads to forked paths in the quagmires of legends, myths, and historical facts. First originating from the pagan fertility rite, February has been associated with romance for a long time, albeit in various forms ranging from pagan fertility rites festivals to agape love. Only during the Middle Ages in Europe did February 14th become firmly linked to the Day of Love, which was believed to mark the start of birds’ mating season.
Containing vestiges of Christian and ancient Roman traditions, St Valentine’s Day as we know it today is an ode to the antics, heroism, and bravery of the legendary martyred Catholic priest Valentine.
It is commonly celebrated by exchanging handwritten love poems called ‘Valentines’ (inspired by the story of the doomed priest Valentine, who signed his letter this way to the daughter of his jailers), as well as flowers, candy, and other gifts for loved ones.
However, modern times and commercialization have eroded the Day’s true meaning, putting immense pressure on both sexes and sometimes causing disappointment when their expectations for a perfect Valentine’s Day or gift are unmet.
In a world where the essence of true love and romance are sacrificed daily on the altar of ambition, self-absorption, and greed, the question has been raised repeatedly: do people still believe in St Valentine’s Day? What do people want from their partner on a day set aside to celebrate love?
To ensure no one gets disappointed, this Valentine, the LeVogue team hit the streets to find out.
Toke Dada: To me, Valentine’s Day is dedicated to expressing love and appreciation. Valentine’s Day provides a unique opportunity to express love and gratitude to those who are important to us. Although I don’t believe a day is sufficient to express that love and care to your special someone, I partake in the celebration as an extra day to show love genuinely and deliberately.
My ideal Valentine’s Day gift: would be for me from my husband could be something thoughtful and personalized, such as a handwritten love letter, a piece of jewellery with sentimental value, or a surprise romantic getaway
Celestina Foks: Yes. I believe in Valentine’s Day. Setting aside a day to celebrate love, especially romantic love, is essential. Sometimes, life can be hectic, and family life can be overwhelming. So, this particular time can be a lifesaver to help you reconnect with your partner and do something special to help promote affectionate feelings between you and your partner.
My ideal gift on Valentine’s Day is flowers and any other gifts.
Chiamaka Udeh: Valentine’s Day, for me, is a day that reminds us to put extra effort into showing love to our spouses, friends, family members, etc. Sometimes, we are so swamped with work and under societal pressure that we stop doing the things that made people around us feel special to be in our corner, but a day with this much publicity helps you plan and look for things to do that fully express your love language.
My ideal Valentine’s gift is someone going out of your way to do things that take you out of your comfort zone. A busy partner would always use money as the last resort because it is believed all women love money, but an intentional partner, no matter how busy, would make time to create a memory that would last a lifetime. It makes the Day special, and you become excited to look toward it. The action should be the cake and the money, the cherry on top; it completes the butterfly dance sequence in the tummy.
Mr Ikechi Enwereji: Valentine’s Day is set aside to show love to people around you, incredibly the less privileged in society – Orphans, people in need, and the rest. It is a time to tell someone that you care, not necessarily indulge in any form of immorality as ‘unreasonable’ people perceive it to be. Of course, I believe in it. I stand on “…Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8). Act of genuine kindness is well commendable before men and mightily rewarded by God.
My ideal Valentine’s Day gift from my partner: “Give to me as you would want me to give to you.” Please don’t give me socks and expect me to give you a Lamborghini in return. The quality of your gifts defines the value you place on your partner. A gift is a gift. Whatever my partner presents to me, as long as she is comfortable with it and it’s what she can afford, provided she did not rob me to buy a gift for me, I am good to go.
Vanylla Onyido: I do not care about Valentine’s Day. No, it’s not coming from a place of hate for the lovey-dovey couples who have decided to go all out to make their loved ones feel special on that “love day’, instead I’m more likely going to “aww” and smile fondly at their antics.
My ideal Valentine’s Day gift from my partner: Love should not be shown and celebrated just once a year. Instead, honoring and showing appreciation to your partner and other loved ones should be done throughout the year. Simple acts of service like getting my favourite bowl of ice cream on a Monday evening to destress from the usual Monday workload. Make that lunch/dinner reservation at that new place just because. Now, that is being thoughtful and intentional. Love needs no special day to be celebrated.
Dr Titilola Abe: I strongly believe in what Valentine stands for. It’s a subtle reminder to celebrate what makes life meaningful – LOVE. LOVE, as we know, is what makes the world go round, and we need more of it. It’s a day to celebrate the important people in our lives (spouses, friends, families, colleagues, and even the community). It’s a season to spend quality time with loved ones and foster relationships while creating beautiful memories!
It’s a time to show love and care to as many people as possible and also put smiles on their faces through the act of giving!
My ideal Valentine’s Day gift from my partner would be quality time with loads of reassuring gifts of his unending love and a romantic dinner to wrap up the beautiful Day. I love it when my husband is very intentional about making me happy 😊
Victor Chukwuanugo: Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love and showing appreciation to the people who mean the most to me. It’s a special day to make those you care about feel extra loved.
My ideal Valentine’s Day gift from my partner: I would love something that shows thoughtfulness and personal connection. It could be a handwritten letter expressing my feelings; it’s all about the effort and thought behind the gift.
Judicious: setting aside a day to celebrate love is redundant because love should be celebrated every Day.
My ideal Valentine’s Day gift from my partner: Love is not in the grand gestures; it’s in the little things. It’s waking up at 6 AM to call them cos you want to hear their voice, calling them at 10 PM to pray, finding their favorite treat or trinket and buying it for them spontaneously, and more. There should not be a day when we don’t celebrate the loved ones in our lives.
