Posted on 02.06.09 1:14PM under Blogging
I don’t know when Valentine’s Day started in the Philippines but it is definitely a special day annually observed by Filipinos. Whatever the status is: Single, Married, In a relationship, It’s Complicated or Domestic Partnership, most Pinoys do not let this Hearts Day pass without doing something special for their loved ones to show their love for them. It is also on this day when you can see flowers and Valentine cards being delivered in schools, offices, residences and everywhere. Prices of flowers are much more expensive compared to ordinary days but you can see a lot of men flock the flower shops, no longer thinking that they may be paying double for them. Any outfit in red is also dominant. Restaurants are pretty crowded. Romantic films are shown in movie houses readily patronized by lovers. Parks are overflowing with couples. Motels are fully-booked. One can literally say that love is in the air when you hear a lot of love songs being played anywhere you go. You can see many people holding hands somehow exclaiming to the world that they are in-love with each other. These are the common things that happen during Valentine’s Day.
When I was a kid, what I could remember about it was that on Valentine’s Day, a delivery man will come up to our door and look for my Mom. It was because my Dad sent my Mom a personalized Valentine card along with beautiful red roses. Sometimes, delicious and mouth-watering confectioneries go with those two and for me, that makes it a winner. I really appreciated this sweet gesture of my father because it made my mother happy and it showed his love for my Mom. Our family would also dine together at a restaurant but there were times when it was only the two of them.
Way back in college, the CSG (Central Student Government), as well as the different student councils, organize a Valentine’s Day program to add some spice to this Hearts Day. Students crowd to the gym to hear live bands play their funky music as well as heart-warming love songs. Fund-raising campaigns are also being launched through different booths like “love knot” or handcuffs, wedding booths and those that sell greeting cards, stuff toys, balloons, pillows, shirts and many more. Business Management students also take this opportunity to sell their goods which are usually food like pastries, cakes, pasta, brownies and others. Some students even organize their own restaurant by choosing a beautiful spot in the campus and turn it into a lovers haven where couples can dine and have an amorous moment together.
Filipinos are known to be romantic. This trait is not only shown during Valentine’s Day but in everyday life. It is just that on Valentine’s Day we want to unite with the whole world in showing our love to families, friends and loved ones. Despite the crisis we are experiencing, I believe that Valentine’s Day will remind us that there is still meaning to life, the hope to rise above the situation and the reason to live and continue with our journey despite the struggles that we encounter along the way.
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