It reminds us of a similar conflict that surrounded the celebration of New Year on Jan 1 in the past. However, over the years, a majority of people have resorted to a peaceful way of celebrating both Jan 1 and traditional new year, Ugadi. Can we aspire for a similar solution to Valentine’s Day in the coming years?
The origin of Valentine’s Day goes back to pre-Christian era. There is a reference of the worship of the Roman God of Fertility on Feb 14 by people belonging to Pagan religion. This ‘February fertility festival’ also known as ‘Lupercalia festival’ used to be celebrated to mark the beginning of spring season. It reminds us of our legendary ‘spring festival’, well known as ‘Vasantotsava’.
It used to be celebrated on a full moon day with the advent of spring season (Feb-March) on a large scale with a lot of fun and pomp. Kamadeva — the Cupid god who represents romantic fervors — is the main deity of worship in this festival. We have references of this festival in all our classical literature. Our poets have romanticised the arrival of Kamadeva with his friend Vasantha (spring). He carries the arrows made out of colourful flowers to induce the fervour of love. Connoisseurs all over the world, be it India or Rome, rejoiced the advent of spring season with a lot of gaiety.
Celebrating fervent love between young boys and girls on Valentine’s Day became more popular in place of the old concepts of ‘Lupercalia spring festival’. It gained momentum and started spreading all over the world in the last century. Its popularity among youth is growing year after year within a short span of its entry into India despite resentment from conventional quarters.
Indian society resents Valentine’s Day celebration mainly due to the manner in which it is being celebrated. It encourages our youth to enter pubs and discotheques that are alien to our culture. There are cases where they are drawn towards dating without realising the consequences.
People who oppose freedom in the name of celebrations like Valentine’s Day, have apprehensions about the consequences. The result of a free society in the western countries is in front of us. It is taking even school-going children in its fold resulting in the record growth of child-mothers in many countries.
Even here, we are witnessing a number of infants thrown into dust bins by their unwed mothers. Young girls are appearing in TV reality shows to narrate the tragic end of their short lived love entanglements. At this juncture, it is very crucial to look at the countries that have broadened the horizon of Valentine’s Day.
New dimension
It is very interesting to note the new dimension it has taken in the land where it was propagated as a festival of passionate love of young people. Valentine’s Day has increased its sphere to celebrate the love and affection in any relationship starting from a mother and child. Shops get filled with gifts and cards marked for wide range of relationships, married couples, friends, teachers, parents, grand parents, children, grand children and perhaps even to new acquaintances!
It has come far away from being the festival of only love between a boy and a girl. It has acquired significance for anyone and everyone in society. We can observe that both young and old take this opportunity to express their deepest feelings to the person they care most in the world.
We are on the threshold of the new era of fusion of different cultures. Number of temples dedicated to Hindu gods are established in many European countries. Postal stamps with images of our gods, Sri Krishna, Shiva-Parvathi, Lakshmi, Venkateshwara and Vinayaka are released in US last month. We get the news that the government had organised a display of bursting firecrackers on the eve of Diwali festival in Australia. It is very hard to escape from the influence of cultural practices of one another in this age of global connectivity.
India is well known to assimilate the good of everything. Our Vedic prayer says, ‘Let all the noble thoughts come to us from all over the Universe — ‘aa noo bhadraah kratavo yantu vishvatah.’ It will be wonderful to accept the Valentine’s Day celebration as Vasantotsava — a festival of love and concern with all the fun and pomp, but with restrained manners.
It is very essential for our youth to remember that Indian culture does not approve of public display of affection. They may devise different ways of celebrations without hurting the feelings of society in general and their elders in particular. A day may come to celebrate Valentine’s Day as ‘Vasantotsava’ by both young and old to express love and concern to their near and dear ones.