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Why Valentine is all about Red
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• Shops are selling anything red
Valentine’s Day or St. Valentine’s Day is when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts on February 14.
with red
Whether it is pending the evening with someone special or buying them gifts, Valentine’s Day is a celebratory day for many. But the question is why is the colour red associated to the occasion unlike other events such as Christmas (which is red and green)?
Weeks before the celebration, shelves of stores are decorated in red, white, and pink.
Red is usually the colour associated with Valentine’s Day but you rarely see Valentine’s Day decorations with just red. This colour is almost always flanked by pink and white.
One of the simple reasons why red is connected to love (and to St. Valentine’s Day) is the fact that it is the same color of blood and of the heart.
This connection to love is part of why some countries, including China and India, encourage brides to wear red to their weddings. White is traditionally associated with purity and innocence.
On its own, white symbolises purity but its combination with red is significant when it comes to Valentine’s Day, too. The colour combination of red and white is often thought to symbolise unity, which offers another explanation.
Scientists have even deduced that the colour red evokes some of the strongest feelings in us, just by sight. Both men and women are more attractive to the other sex when the colour red is in the picture. So, it is no surprise that the vibrant and intense colour has become a symbol of St. Valentine’s Day.
The history of Valentine’s Day and the story of its patron saint are shrouded in mystery. One legend holds that Valentine was responsible for passing notes between incarcerated Christian lovers and performing marriages between them. Another holds that he became romantically involved with a woman whose sight he had restored, sending her a note signed, “From your Valentine.”
Although the true origin of the holiday remains vague, Valentine’s Day was not celebrated as a day of romance until about the 14th century.
In Ghana, the day is celebrated to promote the consumption of chocolate and other cocoa products among the population. This initiative was spearheaded by the then tourism minister, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey (of blessed memory) in 2007 who announced that Val’s Day would be replaced by the celebration of chocolate.
The idea has caught on with Ghanaians, as many buy chocolates and other cocoa products for their loved ones on February 14, aside red clothing, flowers, teddy bears, and wine.
By Yunusah Essandoh
Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, has alleged that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) appears more concerned and emotionally invested in the imprisonment of its Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, than the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking on Joy Prime on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Accra, Mr. Gbande argued that the NPP played a major role in the legal process that led to Wontumi’s conviction.
According to him, the law under which Wontumi was convicted originally carried a maximum prison sentence of three years but was later amended by the NPP administration to increase the maximum punishment to 15 years.
“The law that jailed Wontumi was three years. The NPP enhanced it to 15 years,” he stated.
Mr. Gbande further claimed that the evidence used to prosecute Wontumi was gathered during the previous NPP administration.
He maintained that the case against the NPP chairman did not begin under the current government but was built by officials who served in the former administration.
“The docket that jailed Wontumi was built by the NPP. The evidence that convicted him was built by the NPP,” he asserted.
To support his argument, Mr. Gbande referred to actions taken by the former Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in July 2022, when the minister declared activities linked to Wontumi in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve illegal.
He stressed that once an activity has been declared illegal, it remains a breach of the law regardless of who is involved.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has warned that traders, transport operators, businesses and individuals who refuse to accept Ghana cedi coins as payment for goods and services could face arrest, prosecution, fines or imprisonment.
In a public notice issued on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, the central bank expressed concern over the widespread refusal to accept 1 pesewa, 5 pesewa, 10 pesewa, 20 pesewa and 50 pesewa coins, as well as the GH¢1 and GH¢2 coins.
It explained that all coins issued by the Bank of Ghana remain legal tender and must be accepted for transactions across the country.
According to the BoG, none of the coins has been withdrawn from circulation or demonetised, and no trader, transport operator, business or individual has the right to reject them because they consider them inconvenient or of low value.
The bank cited the Bank of Ghana Act, 2002 (Act 612), as amended, and the Currency Act, 1964 (Act 242), as the laws governing the use of the country’s currency.
It noted that under the Currency Act, refusing to sell goods or provide services simply because a customer is paying with legal tender coins or banknotes is a criminal offence, unless the currency has been withdrawn from circulation.
The BoG stated that anyone convicted of the offence could face up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both.
It added that people who encourage or instruct others to reject coins, including business owners who direct their employees to do so, are equally liable under the law.
The bank further indicated that a person caught committing the offence may be arrested without a warrant.
To ensure compliance, the BoG said it would work with the Ghana Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to enforce the law against offenders.
It encouraged members of the public to report cases of coin rejection to the nearest Bank of Ghana office, the Ghana Police Service or through the bank’s official communication channels.
The central bank called on individuals, businesses and institutions to accept and handle Ghana’s currency responsibly in all its denominations, saying this would help uphold confidence in the country’s legal tender.
By: Jacob Aggrey
