DAY OF LOVE AND FRIENSHIP

DIA DE SAN VALENTIN - ST VALENTINE'S DAY

Valentine's Day is celebrated on 14th February, the feast day of St. Valentine. It is a

traditional celebration in which lovers, partners and married couples express their love and affection for each other. In some countries it is known as The Day of Lovers orThe Day of Love and Friendship.

These days it is celebrated with the exchanging of cards known as valentines, with patterns on of hearts or Cupid; but with the rise of the Internet the custom of exchanging virtual cards has also increased. Common as well is the tradition of giving roses or tokens of love.

Since the nineteenth century, people have exchanged cards and gifts like roses and chocolates. The gift of roses is common between couples, friends and family, and the colour of the roses determines the message expressed. For example, the red rose symbolizes love, white represents peace and yellow represents friendship.

However, like most holiday celebrations, Valentine's Day has been commercialized and now many think it seems more like a celebration organized by the shops and department stores as any hint of romanticism has been lost.

What is the the history of St Valentine?

There are various legends regarding the history of St Valentine; the only thing that can be said for sure is that there is lots of mystery and his exact story is not very clear.

One of the most well-known legends dates back to Rome in the 3rd century. In this period, soldiers were not allowed to get married because it was believed that single men were better soldiers in battle than those that were married, because they were emotionally attached to their families. Faced with this situation, the figure of the Christian priest Valentine appeared, who considered the obligation on soliders not to marry to be injust. He therefore decided to unite partners in matrimony with the Christian blessing. Through his actions, he emerged as the protector of those in love, because he carried out secret marriages all over Rome, until he was summoned by the Emperor Claudius II.

Asterius, a deputy of Rome, was responsible for the condemned Valentine. He made fun of Christianity and put Valentine to the test, asking him to return the sight of his daughter who was born blind. The priest accepted and performed the miracle. Asterius and his family became Christian, but they could not save Valentine from death, and he was executed on 14th February. Two centuries afterwards, the Catholic church revived the story and shortly afterwards, Valentine was canonized.

How did Valentine's Day become the widespread and commercialized celebration that it is today?

In the United Kingdom during the 17th century, the celebration of Valentine's Day became widespread. In the 18th century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange love notes written by hand. At the end of this century, printed cards started to replace these letters. In this period, Americans also adopted the tradition and in the 1840s, Esther A. Howland started to sell the first mass-produced Valentine's day cards.

Currently, according to 'The Greeting Card Association', a billion Valentines are sent every year.

LATIN WORLD TRADITIONS

In these countries, they celebrate the Day of Love and Friendship and they don't celebrate it on 14th February, but in September instead. In Central America it is also known as the Day of Tenderness.

However, celebrations on 14th February are also growing in popularity, now being celebrated by the majority of partners in a traditional way. Partners celebrate it through the exchange of gifts, the tradition of 'secret friends', with the men giving roses to the women, chocolates and small tokens that demonstrate love and friendship. In Peru, among one of the most precious gifts that can be given is the orchid, which are native to Peru.