Zimbabweans yesterday celebrated Valentine’s Day in style, with some clad in red and white attires, while others received gifts at workplaces and at home and some went out dining.
Still, many others were doing last minute shopping for gifts in a bid to please their partners before the end of the day.
Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s Day is a traditional celebration of all things Love on February 14 and this year it was yesterday.
The day, famously known to be a celebration for lovers, saw many being pampered and showered with various gifts.
A walk around Harare’s Central Business District showed people holding gifts such as flowers, chocolates, cakes, jewelry and teddy bears.
Social media platforms were buzzing with selfies and videos of love birds celebrating their significant others and showing off their Valentine’s gifts, with some having caused a stir among their followers.
Socialite Lorraine Guyo took to her Facebook page claiming to have received a car as a Valentine gift.
A Budiriro 4 resident in Harare, Mr Tinashe Zisengwe said Valentine’s Day was for all people.
“Valentine is not only confined to your better half, but it can be extended to relatives and friends it will have its true meaning,” he said. “I actually bought my mum a cake to express my gratitude for my upbringing.”
Melinda Huni from Eastlea, Harare, who received some goodies, was ecstatic.
“I am over the moon,” she said. “I have just received some flowers, jewelry and a cake from my boyfriend. It is so sweet of him. I am really short of words. I promise to never let him down.”
It was also brisk business for florists, boutiques, café and jewelry shops, as some were in last minute rush shopping for their loved ones.
Florists at the popular Africa Unity Square market could be observed having a busy day as they served customers who were purchasing flowers.
A florist, Joyce Allan, said although they appeared busy, business was actually quite low compared to the pre-Covid-19 era, as they were now importing some of the flowers, a process that made them expensive.
“We have very few local growers of flowers in the country,” she said.
“That is making our prices a bit steep for the ordinary customer considering how most people have just finished paying school fees and things like that.
“However, the President has encouraged us to grow our own flowers locally.
“If we take this advice seriously, I am sure by this time next year we may not need to import flowers to sell to our customers.”
Some people expressed mixed feelings over the day.
A Twitter handle @therealTha which generated some of the heated debate on the platform stated: “Personally, I don’t see the need to buy my girlfriend a gift because I have never even bought my own mother and father a Valentine’s present.
“A simple message should be enough and the person I’m dating should be able to understand that I’m in no position to buy her a gift.”
In response, another user said: “Given the pressure that social media is bringing this year, females are bound to have great expectations on Valentine’s Day. If your other half does not understand this then you might as well be single.”
Others said they had more pressing issues to take care of such as the well-being of their families instead of spending the cash they would have made on gifts. – The Herald
