Valentine’s Day brings with it the message of love and reinforces its universal spirit. With strong reminiscences from the past, today, Valentine’s Day is tagged as global day. Transcending physical boundaries, it has percolated through different regions, cultures and communities. The continuation through centuries reiterates the immense popularity of the Day, whose influence has been growing in leaps and bounds in the wake of commercialization. Hence, what began as a day to commemorate the martyrdom of St. Valentine and his sacrifices in the name of love has come to include within its corpus a gamut of celebrations, festivities and traditions.

Essentially symbolizing a day for lovers, the popularity and appeal of the day is cross-generational. Valentine’s Day might be a celebration between anyone and anywhere. For instance, it might be an expression between a grandfather and his grandson, between an idol and his devoted follower, or it maybe an occasion to reinforce the spirit of love between long-distance lovers or long-lost heartthrobs.

Although twentieth-century celebrations reveal a stark contrast with earlier days, the numerous symbols linked with day remain intact. The red rose, being a symbol of passion and love, is the traditional Valentine's Day flower. The yellow rose symbolizes friendship. The symbol of Cupid, the son of the goddess of love, with a bow is another popular feature. As a sign of love, the heart is also linked to Valentine's Day celebrations. Depicting the message of love and loyalty between mates, doves are an eternal part of Valentine’s Day celebrations.

Along with the expression of love, gifts are the major attractions for the day. It could be anything from a bouquet of flowers to an assortment of chocolates to heart-shaped candies. A diamond ring as a gift is symbolic of the sentiment associated with the day. Valentine’s Day is a unique day that is celebrated with pomp and grandeur. This might involve a quiet candlelight dinner between lovers, an extravagant party sprayed with champagne, a scrumptious dinner in restaurant and a display at the movie theatre, a flashy discotheque, and many more celebrations.

In the U.S., the day particularly gained prominence after the Civil War. There are narrations of the exchange of cards and greetings between the people and their worshipped heroes and generals. From the second half of the twentieth century, the practice of exchanging cards also came to include gift-giving rituals. Today, Valentine’s Day is celebrated amongst lovers and loved ones with a spree of revels.

It is often said that Valentine’s Day, marked by ostentatious displays, has become a victim of commercialism. Despite of all such claims, the glorious prominence of the event in today’s materialistic world, stricken by tensions and pressures, bears testimony to its unaltered status. The message of love still remains the untarnished essence for the day.