celebrating love?

so here we are on feb 14.. thinking back to the old days when i was still in school.. we used to give friends little heart-shaped stickers, stuck them onto our bags, purses, pencil boxes, shirts and all sorts of things.. some of them, as i recall, i stuck onto the back of my shirt collar and so people wouldn't see unless i show them.. was that because they were special friends, i cannot remember.. but anyways, later on you no longer give (and receive) stickers.. it became valentine cards, roses, chocolates, teddybears, etc.. well, not that i always got those but in general people give those type of gifts, right? never had i seriously wondered about the origin of the celebration on such day.. so i was browsing online, and not surprisingly found many stories related to the root of this.. one is related to ancient Rome's Lupercalia festival when girls' names were drawn to become the companion of a guy, i presume in marriage.. but then later on the emperor decided to ban marriage because he wanted men in the army.. valentine was a priest who secretly wed couples, and was later caught and beheaded.. tragic story isn't it? and the festival transformed into a celebration for gods and saints, and st. valentine was chosen.. and there you go, valentine's day.. but what do you know.. it's just a story.. (i think there's more to it but i'm just too lazy hehe)

so why is it a special occasion? some question the rationale of this celebration.. is it important that we need to show 'special' love on this day, when we should be giving love every day? putting it that way, then of course nothing makes this day different from any other day.. but then i wonder why you celebrate other occasions.. birthdays for example.. why does it matter that exactly X years ago you were born and so it makes that day more special than every day that you have lived and will live? or why do you go to church or temples on religious occasions when you should do good deeds and pray without a reason? father's day, mother's day, even 'wan dek' or children's day.. why do people make a big deal out of them? my kind of answer is, because it creates a sense of recognition and importance, and not just within you but showing it to the public.. we celebrate many occasions because those people involved actually feel happy and fulfilled to give as well as receive.. i will not argue that there are people who do that every day, but having these special days make it known to others that these things are important to you.. will we love others less without a valentine's day? of course not. yet, having it does bring smiles and joy to millions of people all around.. so why bother searching for a reason to celebrate, when sometimes the rationale does not matter but rather the outcome..

all in all, happy valentine's anyway!