Hearts and candy: Hopping on the valentine bandwagon

Establishments vie for custom on Valentine’s Day by offering special deals.

LAHORE: Shops and flower vendors across the city have gradually changed their displays over the past week. Mannequins have been attired in red and the vast majority of bouquets on display have been sporting red roses. A marked change has been seen at gift shops as this is their time to shine - time where teddy bears holding hearts and baskets laden with gifts are sold by the hundreds.

Any mention of Valentine’s Day in Lahore is incomplete without food as most people end up going out for dinner to mark the occasion. Various cafés have introduced special deals for the day.

These include special buffet deals, discounts for couples and the opportunity to have a nice meal in a romantic setting.

Café Costa has introduced a special buffet deal for the occasion. X-2, another café, has extended valentine celebrations to two days. The café has also introduced a special menu for February 14th and 15th. LOCA, another restaurant, has completely revamped its menu for the occasion.

The first item on the café’s five-course menu has been named love portion.

Although restaurants have been struggling to satisfy demand it is cake shops and bakeries that seem to have outshone them. A myriad of establishments have been harnessing the potential of social media by offering an array of baked goods including cakes and cupcakes embellished with hearts and short messages.

Some of these are offering to deliver mementos on behalf of their customers. Muneeze Khalid, a culinary prodigy, is offering customised gift baskets at the higher end.

Road Runner, an on-demand delivery service, is also offering special baskets for the budget-minded customer. Sentiments Express, a gift delivery service of the TCS, provides those abroad with the opportunity to send flowers to their loved ones with special discount rates being offered for Lahore.

Cellular companies have also jumped on the bandwagon by offering special packages. D Juice’s offer lets customers avail a special valentine package from February 11th to 15th.

Valentine’s day is marked worldwide as the day of love. The origins of the holiday are ambiguous with various stories surrounding it.

Of these the most popular story is associated with Saint Valentine who had been imprisoned for officiating marriages of  soldiers barred from marrying in Roman states. The celebration has become popular in the nation overtime much to the chagrin of those who oppose it on religious grounds.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2015.