Valentine's Day

Do you need one special day in a year to celebrate your love? Who determines how it should be expressed? What matters more in a gift - the price or the thought behind it? With tomorrow being Valentine's Day, Gulf News asked readers what meaning the day holds in their lives. While the answers may differ depending on culture, society or level of success in love, Valentine's Day definitely seems to be getting more popular with each passing year.

The hype around Valentine's Day gives young people unrealistic expectations of love in a relationship.

It all depends on a person's attitude. Valentine's Day is promoted by businesses to push sales and make profits. Youngsters should not get carried away and bring all their love to the fore only on Valentine's Day. I do not yet have a special person with whom I would celebrate the day. But even after I find her, I would prefer to celebrate every day of the year with her, instead of a single day.
Renil Lambert
Abu Dhabi

Nowadays, the younger generation does not respect certain limits that should always be maintained. While they may be aware of the constraints that come with being a part of another culture, they often commit too much in a relationship and suffer because of excesses, both financially and emotionally. It is fine if grown-ups celebrate Valentine's Day, as they know when to stop.
Prince Johnson Rajaiah
Dubai

The media has sensationalised Valentine's Day and we hear of promotions or contests everywhere. It has also become very commercialised. Things are blown up and the real meaning of love is lost. This shows young people a facade of love, instead of the actual experience. I celebrate Valentine's Day as it is a day where you make a special effort for someone you love.
Jerry Selayro
Dubai

My wife always complains that I do nothing special for Valentine's Day. Well, for me every day is Valentine's Day! However, I am not sure if youngsters know about the importance and true value of love. It would help if promotions during Valentine's Day actually focused on the true meaning of love, to make sure youngsters do not have any illusions.
Sofiane Boufas
Dubai

Friendship is the love that makes a relationship work.

Without friendship there is no love. It is the foundation of any relationship and a good set of friends forms the backbone of our social lives. However, when it comes to the relationship between a married couple, I think love, instead of friendship, plays a crucial role. Occasions like Valentine's Day can help couples strengthen their relationship by spending a good evening together.
C. Sunil Roy
Dubai

A lot in a relationship does depend on friendship. However, it is not the only crucial aspect. There needs to be trust, flexibility, tolerance and compromise to balance a relationship. Valentine's Day does not probably hold the same importance for me as it did a few years ago. My wife and I believe that it does not make a difference if you make all the effort for only one day in the year.
Tim Crowe
Dubai

Friendship is important but if you are talking about your partner, I think the relationship should be much more than just friendship. It is important to be friendly with people in general, but when you come to a personal relationship, you need to have the seriousness and maturity required to build it. Occasions like Valentine's Day are a nice way to express your love.
Jerusha Sequeira
Dubai

Even though I have not been in such a relationship, I feel it is extremely important to have friendship in a relationship. If you are friendly with your partner, you can understand each other better and see how compatible you are with one another. It also becomes easier to share your thoughts and experiences, especially in the context of some Asian cultures.
Lata Srinivas
Dubai

People often confuse physical attraction with love.

There are some people for whom physical attraction is a major factor in building a relationship. However, I would not generalise. What you should look for in a person is not physical appearance but personality. Even though there are people in society who judge your partner primarily on good looks, it should not affect you as only you will be spending the rest of your life with the person.
Fatima Saif Al Deen Chandra
Dubai

Valentine's Day is a nice way to tell someone what they mean to you. Many people feel that there is a lot of hype created by the media, and people often promote only the good aspects of their personality. Love is unconditional and should be based on understanding instead of physical appearance. Good looks should not matter as love is a deeper emotion.
Rasangi Suraweera
Sharjah

It is sad but true that people mistake love for physical attraction. Love survives on values of trust, compromise, understanding and sacrifice. These values cannot be judged on the basis of how attractive a person looks. People must understand that physical attributes are not bound to stay forever. Love is regarded as pure and sacred, and is beyond physical attraction.
Mir Imran Hussain
Dubai

How you perceive love depends on the kind of individual you are. I feel love should not be confused with physical attraction. It is purely a state of mind that reflects your thoughts, which are not on a physical level. Valentine's Day should be celebrated to express your love, socialise and to make new friends. It could be utilised to project yourself as a better person.
Jagdish Patil
Dubai

Valentine's Day is a commercial farce.

Valentine's Day is not part of my culture and I do not see a need to celebrate it when we already have so many cultural and religious festivals to express our emotions to our loved ones. It is marketed for companies to sell all those cards, jewellery and other gifts. We do not really gain anything from it. Even if I step into the kitchen to help my wife with the cooking, it is an expression of love.
Humayun Chaudhry
Dubai

I recall reading a newspaper advertisement promoting diamonds as a better gift than chocolates for Valentine's Day. The commercialisation cannot get any more blatant. The media also plays on the emotions of people, especially women, in building their expectations from an imported belief.. It is simple if one is pressured into buying something to express an emotion, then that is commercial manipulation. Huma Imam
Dubai

Valentine's Day does help you convey your feelings to someone. For youngsters, it gives an opportunity to express themselves. It might be commercial but it helps people. I often get together with other women, dress up and celebrate the day. It is a pure and nice feeling for anyone to feel that they are loved. It is a blessing because it is not always easy for everyone to express their emotions.
Geetam Kapur
Dubai

It is a day to spend time with your loved ones. It could be your wife or daughter who you express your love for. You obviously cannot do that by simply shaking hands, you would have to buy a gift! While this does benefit commerce, I would not say that it is commercialised. If it was not so, how else would we celebrate Valentine's Day?
Gaston Alfred Dias
Dubai