Valentine's Day: Gift stalls line up major streets

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 14: As couples worldwide celebrated Valentine's Day--a day of love, stalls selling Valentine's Day gifts lined up many major streets of Imphal during the last couple of days.
Gardens, restaurants, resorts and all known scenic places were filled with young boys and girls exchanging gifts.
While Valentine's Day originated in the 5th century as a Roman Catholic feast day to honour a martyr named St Valentine, it has evolved into a largely secular, commercial, and cultural celebration of romance, love, and friendship observed across diverse faiths and cultures.
Although love doesn't need a single day to be celebrated, evidently, young couples in Manipur too are increasingly endorsing Valentine's Day as a day to celebrate their love for one another.
What has given this impression is the sheer number of bouquet stalls/shops that popped up overnight all over Imphal.
At least 42 bouquet/gift stalls were opened along Tiddim Road, between Keishampat Junction and Imphal Airport.
More than 35 stalls could be seen along the road between Moirangkhom and Canchipur.
Many more such stalls were also opened at Naga-mapal, Thangmeiband, Chingmeirong and other places in Imphal.
Till late in the evening, young boys and girls were seen flocking these stalls, exchanging roses, and dining at restaurants.
While most of the stalls were seen selling roses and many other flowers brought in from outside Manipur, some were seen selling locally sourced flowers and local handloom products.
A man in his 40s expressed that Valentine's Day has become more popular among the youths and teens in Manipur in recent years.
He, however, cautioned that "our youths must be conscious about the significance of the day and how it is celebrated."
"Valentine's Day celebrates love. While celebrating the day in its true sense, our youths must also be conscious of our culture and tradition, and the drain of wealth associated with such festivals," said the man.
He said, promoting local handloom and handicraft products as gifts, and locally sourced flowers during the festival could stop the drain of wealth.
Origin of Valentine's Day
The roots of Valentine’s Day are layered and debated.
A widely accepted account connects the day to Saint Valentine of Terni, a Christian priest who lived during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II.
At the time, Claudius reportedly banned marriages for Roman soldiers, believing unmarried men made better warriors.
Valentine defied this order and secretly performed Christian wedding ceremonies for soldiers.
His actions were eventually discovered, leading to his arrest and imprisonment.
While serving the sentence, Saint Valentine of Terni fell in love with the jailer's daughter. He healed and restored her sight. The house then converted, believing in the power of God.
After the news reached the emperor, Valentine was executed on February 14.
On the day of execution, he sent the jailer's daughter a farewell note: 'From your Valentine'. The Catholic Church later designated February 14 as the feast day of Saint Valentine, cementing the date’s religious significance.