The popular Valentine day celebration all over the world this year was seen as a mere day of deceit amongst the youths.
They think it is just a day to lead the opposite sex to bed.
Our news desk sought the opinion of residents of Port Harcourt and came back with the following response:
Prewari, a business outfit manager, stated that valentine is not an African culture and as such, has no direct impact on the day to day lives of couples’ love affairs (relationship).
He further cited our forefathers as people who demonstrated love in the most natural way. Hence, he has no plan for Valentine day celebration. He further stated that love is an everyday thing, “so why should one show special love to those he or she loves on that day?”
Another Port Harcourt resident who reacted on the issue but pleaded anonymity opined that love is a natural way of sharing one’s emotional and happy feelings towards those one loved.
At station bus stop, Cynthia, a stylist has this to say about Valentine day celebration; “Valentine is a day you share love and affection to your preferred souls of the opposite sex.”
As to how the day should be celebrated, she said, it should be celebrated with modesty among two lovers, not forgetting those who had never tasted love from the social circle. She noted that “love is an everyday thing, yet Valentine day should be exceptional in demonstrating love in different dimensions, not necessarily meaning only man and woman coming to share erotic desires towards themselves.”
Helen John, in Mile One, Diobu, has this to say about Valentine; “Valentine day celebration means a day of joy to celebrate love among those that are good with me. It does not mean only with a man who is my lover, but all those who have good thoughts for me, to be among the people I have been relating with over the years.”
Still in Mile One, Diobu, Juliet Godwin Dike, said Valentine day to her means “A day of love the man Valentine brought into the lives of youth lovers. So it means celebration of love. God is love so we also celebrate God as love.” It means all about love to her and advised those who are celebrating Valentine day to celebrate it in a godly way. “It should not be all about drinking and partying as the youths are doing it,” she added.
She also said that she celebrated her valentine day with her work because she was all engrossed in her job through the day, though her date called her three hours on phone to share his Valentine day celebration with her.
Profit Loveday, a teenager said in her opinion, “Valentine is all about love to share with people around you.”
She advised that people should rather “celebrate Valentine day in the church, the church today is much better,” citing an incident that happened last year where a couple went drinking into stupor which eventual ended their lives through motor accident.
She is of the opinion that it will have been much better if those celebrating Valentine day should celebrate it in the way of God. For her, she celebrated hers in the church, where she enjoyed herself. According to her it was glorious and wholesome.
Mr. Bamson George, simply said Valentine day is supposed to be everyday, because it is all about love and love is an everyday thing, hence it does not really mean a different thing to his life.
Edith Friday, an office secretary, in her opinion, said Valentine day celebration to her is a day of sharing love with those around you. “It is a day you show those you love that you care for them, most especially the elderly, sharing items and saying good words to them.”
Others who expressed their views on the issue simply said it is a day of sharing love, not only to those that loved you or to those that you know.
Good as everyone is happy for Valentine day celebration, certain groups of people understand the day in a different way, far from the purpose why Valentine was killed.
For those groups of people it means sharing erotic feelings with the opposite sex, with partying and drinking.
While it had become an age long thing to keep in remembrance of Saint Valentine, the celebration of the day is fast degrading to another level.
Here in Port Harcourt, the capital city of Rivers State, the 2012 Valentine day celebration was more or less not in existence as fuel scarcity and the biting economy of the city, really succeeded in crippling the days celebration as lovers could not afford to spare a kobo to buy their loved ones presents or gifts which normally characterized the day.
Many even decided to skip the Valentine day celebration to be on the safer side with their relationship. ###
Allanso Jonathan Allanso
