Although a Western notion, celebrating February 14th as a festival of love is not a new phenomenon in Nepal. This occasion is more popular among the youth who enthusiastically celebrate it with their respective partners by exchanging special gifts and expressing their love through red roses. Red roses are indispensable on this day because of what it signifies: unconditional love. The history of Valentine’s Day also referred as Saint Valentine’s Day began with Saint Valentine of Rome. It is said that he was sent to prison for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and also for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. Hence to honors the Saint for his good deed we celebrate Valentine’s Day.
It’s good to celebrate special occasions and more so if it is meant for love! And everyone has the right to celebrate it, the way they want to. Regarding this special occasion, here is some excerpt shared by couples for Valentine’s Day.
Raj Bhai Suwal – Professional Photographer
These days, we all have such busy lives. It is thus important for people to take breaks and have fun. Hence, I consider Valentine’s Day, which comes once in a year as something positive. I like to celebrate it with my loving wife by reminiscing our good old days. But that does not mean, I only take time out on Valentine’s Day for my better-half! I think that our togetherness itself is an all-time Valentines occasion. This year also, as always, I shall be celebrating this special day with her. As the occasion falls on Saturday we might go away for the weekend. I don’t have anything special planned because frankly I dedicate every day of my life to my wife Kamala.
GP Timilsina – Media Person
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. It is an exciting day for those who want to profess their love to someone special. I believe this is also a precious occasion where we can express our love for our family and friends. I usually have some gifts ready for my wife Usha on this day. We go for candle light dinner and enjoy each other’s company. It’s been 14 years of celebration of togetherness and unconditional love. We have certainly come a long way. One special thing I do for my wife and also my daughter is buy two red roses to gift them individually, so that both are happy! As a lot of special events such as our marriage anniversary, our birthdays as well as our siblings’ birthdays fall around Valentines month; we plan to celebrate all occasions on February 14th itself. As a message to all on Valentines occasion, I would like to say that love is not a sin, but we must consider and respect our cultural norms and values while celebrating love. Lastly, loving from your heart and soul is as pure as God’s love; hence celebrate Valentines 2015 with sincerity, respect and genuine thoughtfulness!
Bishow Gautam – Fashion Designer
Valentine’s Day is like a good pressure for me to make the day as romantic as possible, and shower my wife with lots of treats. It’s really not difficult to show one’s genuine love and affection. So I plan to do all the things my wife enjoys and make this so memorable that she will miss it for the rest of the year! I am going to set an early alarm, and do something surprising…something she would not guess at all. I enjoy seeing her surprised. Maybe I will penned a love note and pile up special gifts, and bring her a breakfast tray so that when she opens her eyes early in the morning, she will be beautifully surprised. We can then visit a romantic place to celebrate the rest of the day. In Valentine’s Day I like to pay extra attention to my better-half. Personally, I really like the way she wears her gloves. I usually help her pull off her gloves and gently plant kisses on her fingertips. I prefer to gift her chocolates than flowers as a gesture of celebrating this special occasion by adding bundles of sweetness. In the evening it would be nice to enjoy a warm cup of coffee and reminisce about our good old days, and hope for a brighter future together.
Sushil Nepal – Program presenter
“For a party-loving person, I really enjoy Valentine’s Day, and I tend to be quite romantic on this special occasion. I always celebrate it with my wife and daughter. As a family, we usually go for dinner. Frankly, it’s just not Valentines, I enjoy celebrating many occasions. Dance parties, going out to restaurants with my friends…even my wife and daughter usually accompany me. I do prefer going out to candle-light dinners during Valentines with my better-half but because the day might coincide with various events happening in the city, that usually is not possible. Ours is a love marriage, so during Valentine’s Day I tend to fondly reminisce our early courtship days. Because it’s an occasion of love, a lot of couples celebrate it and I fall in that category I guess! Moreover, I am a person who feels refreshed just celebrating any occasion! So I really am looking forward to fully celebrate Valentines 2015 as well.
Ram Krishna Dhakal – Singer
I always celebrate Valentine’s Day with my wife. We usually surprise each other with thoughtful presents. And we never miss out giving red roses to each other. We go for candle-light dinners, and if any programme of mine coincides on this day, my wife and daughter always accompany me. If I am traveling around or abroad, I always try to take my small family with me. We are often spending time traveling and being out and about. My better-half and I are very much in love, and we have unconditional trust between each other. In fact, we hardly ever feel like husband and wife, we still feel like we are courting each other! As I love her more than life itself, I feel everyday is Valentines. If I have a programme this time, she will be beside me. Otherwise, we might have a romantic celebration in Pokhara.
Bishal Gurung-Young Entrepreneur
I will be celebrating this Valentine’s Day with a candle light dinner with my wife. This will also be a special day for us, because this was the very day we first met seven years ago. I intend to make it even more special and relive our memories by surprising my better half with a diamond ring and a bottle of good red wine. Her gift to me, however, is better than mine! She will soon be giving me a little one coming April, and words cannot describe how grateful and excited I am to hold our child. I really hope this Valentine’s Day will be wonderful for all who celebrate as I am definitely feeling a lot of love in the air already. Let your dear ones know how much you love them because it’s important.
Valentines is also the perfect time to show the other person, whether it’s your partner or girlfriend, how precious they are in your life so make the most of this beautiful day! Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
– by jayan Subba Manandhar
