Lunar Valentine Reflection

As the cruxifix or cross has become the most revered symbol in Christianity,for both Catholics and Protestants alike- representing the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, the mandarin oranges and red roses have become prominent symbols for the Lunar new year and Valentine’s day respectively.

For this year, it so happens that both these two commercially driven festivities happen to fall on the same day. For the Chinese, the Lunar new year has always been a season of extravagant lavishing on food and drinks , new clothes and shoes , the act of gifting money tucked in red packets, the exchange of mandarin oranges and many other action all adhering to that certain custom. While I’m not totally against such acts all in the name of tradition, I’m not an advocate for such beliefs and I cannot understand how some would go all out beyond their limits to make this, “a season to be remembered”. Just 3 days ago, a news report aired on channel8 caught my attention. It was about how some Chinese ladies would rent luxurious handbags which they cannot afford to own, just for them to bring around and ‘show’ in hope to make an impression on their relatives they are visiting. Apparently, the owner of the shop providing such services was interviewed and that person cited a substantial increase in revenue during this Lunar new year season. One customer even remarked that the bag she rented gives her confidence and that carrying it, marks a sign of prosperity. What do you make of this ? Do we really need to impress others during this season and/or all the time ?

Saint valentine’s day or more simply known as valentine’s day today, was named after Christian martyrs named valentine according to history. It was a day which honors the valentines whom were persecuted in the course of clinging on dearly to their religious beliefs. Certainly a far cry from what the day is being remembered for, today.

The valentine’s day celebrated in recent times, speaks of romance or intimacy between couples. It is usually accompanied with the act of gifting roses and/or confectionery or any form of commodity which spells out the ‘love’ from the giver represented in a physical form. Marketers often succeed in turning consumers into willing victims during this season all in the name of ‘love’ – “If you love your partner, you’ll give that gift which he/she desires for.” The problem with this whole notion lie with the danger of falling into the possibility of an individual quantifying and measuring love, in accordance to the monetary value attached to the gift regardless of whether he/she feels satisfied with the gift. This false concept of love undermines the true meaning of what love is , in the purest form.

Returning back to the symbols mentioned at the start of this entry, the mandarin oranges signifies wealth and all the celebrated beliefs of the lunar new year whilst the roses and confectionaries represent the perceived ‘love’ of valentine’s day. These 2 festivities are distinct and separate but yet, share a similarity which stands out, that is our response to them- simply our willingness to be deceived and/or our vulnerability to deception.

If we adopt rationality and logical thinking, it is not difficult to unanimously agree that there is no casual significance between mandarin oranges and prosperity or in the case of valentine’s day, the gift of roses and confectionery and ‘love’. The interviewed lady who rented that bag in hope to impress her relatives shows us how we can be so willing to deceive ourselves to in order to satisfy our pride. I think this calls for constant reflection on our actions which ideally should mirror our true consciousness that can only be unleashed when one understands the significance of the cruxifix or cross and embraces the faith.