Sunday, February 15, 2009

Saint Valentine stimulates the economy

The chocolate industry in America seems to do well despite the worldwide economic downturn reports VOA News. 

The reason could be that those people who might have been planning to buy something more expensive to their loved one may have chosen to go for something less extraordinary and less expensive such as chocolate. 

The average American consumer spends about a hundred dollars buying Valentine's day gifts, but even foreigners staying in the USA, what is more millions of people in distant parts of the world observe the holiday by overwhelming their loved ones with gifts. 

The holiday is celebrated differently in every country. There are places where people buy gifts to their whole family and others where it is more about couples. 

According to the legend, the Valentine's day holiday was originally started to honour a priest, Saint Valentine, who secretly married couples despite the emperors order. As it was a time of war, the emperor did not want his soldiers to be distracted by marriage and women in general, so he banned marriage completely. Saint Valentine did not obey and ended up in prison for not doing so. The couples he had married secretly gathered in front of his prison cell and threw flowers and gifts at his window. This is how it all started apparently. 

What it has become may be very different, but as long as this is not the only day of the year when we love each other I do not mind. 

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