Valentine’s Day: What is the day all about? Is it really important here in Africa?

Today is the day almost everyone was talking about. “Valentine’s Day”, has been the motto and topic almost everywhere. Even us who are not into romantic relationships we have been giving others pressure on what they should do and how they should do it. This not the topic for today….

Today we are going to concentrate on the origins of the day and mainly on its adoption here in Africa. The influence and impact the day has brought to the African community is also going to be assessed.

Origins Of The Valentine’s Day And How Did We End Up Celebrating It Here In Africa

The exact origins of the day cannot be established, however they can be tracked back to ancient Rome. The day started as a religious day where the Roman Christians were honouring a matyr named Valentine.

This therefore strongly suggest that the Roman Catholic Church continued to celebrate this day and it was brought as a culture here in Africa during colonialism.

With culture being blended with religion, a lot of people in the continent have began to celebrate it by sending gifts to friends and loved ones.

Is The Day Of Significance

The day is not of that much significance as it is not deemed as a public holiday here in Africa.

However, with the advent of social media, fake lifestyles and unnecessary pressures have been mounting leaving a lot of couples with no choice but to recognise the day as of much importance.

Others have went on to borrow some money only to impress their loved ones. It is quite important to realise that the Valentine’s Day is not for your lover only, but for everyone who is significant in your live… So; send gifts to everyone you love if you can, but if you cannot afford, it is still well.