Author: Lucrezia Bottaro
The celebration of Valentine’s Day is widespread all over the world, and it pushes couples, or more generally lovers, to exchange thoughts and gifts, but its origin dates back many centuries.
According to tradition, the festival was established in 496 A.D. by Pope Gelasius I, to counter the “lupercalia”, a pagan celebration celebrated on February 15. Thus, the Pope moved the feast to the previous day, dedicated precisely to Valentine’s Day, transforming it into the protector of lovers; the festival, as we celebrate today, has undergone various transformations, whose origin must be traced very likely in the Middle Ages.
But in the contemporary world, is love between lovers or love between companies celebrated on 14 February? This is a question that arises in me spontaneously, especially for the multiple marketing moves, which move their steps almost two months before the party, and communicate with couples by offering extraordinary gifts and unforgettable experiences; This is supported by technology, which helps to woo customers of luxury brands.
As a feeling that, in a subject, has just lit up and has a prospect of growth at least to its peak, so the business of romanticism is booming: according to the research company IPSOS MORI, More than 50% of adults with a partner plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day and for obvious reasons, this fervor turns into huge amounts of money, which are mainly divided into two sectors of the market: fashion and gastronomy.
In particular, the world of fashion and luxury brands tries to take care of their products for this occasion, even creating special collections. To give some examples, Miu Miu in the past has created, with a focus on the kiss theme, the T-shirts “Miu Miu kisses”, on which it decided to represent the five kisses, seen on the big screen, that over time have excited for being unexpected, full of desire or fairy tales; Patrizia Pepe instead has chosen to create a collection of sweatshirts in red, which bears the inscription Love, or Cartier with its famous bracelet “Love”, born in the 70s, symbolically celebrating the indissoluble bond of the couple.
In short, the most glaring fact, which cannot be denied even by those who celebrate this holiday with great enthusiasm, is as follows: in today’s world, marked by strong consumerism, love is being contaminated with a materialistic component, to the detriment of feelings, that they are emptying themselves of their purity
