By Isabella Lucas, Madeleyn Mejia
♡ GIFTS GIVEN ♡
Some people forget the meaning of this holiday of romance and only see the presents that are given to them. The meaning behind these Valentine’s presents is for romance and love and to give one day to show the special value a person can mean to them. According to dictionary.com, the definition of romance is “to feel a strong liking for or take great pleasure in”. February 14th intends to showcase this excitement and mystery that is between two people. This definition shows the feeling that many people have to do all kinds of things in all kinds of different ways. Although this feeling can’t be 100% accurately shown in words, it can be shown in gifts.
Valentine’s Day gifts are a staple for the national holiday and almost always have something in common. Valentine’s Day is known for being the day for romantic love and with love comes presents. Some of these special gifts include chocolates, flowers, cards, and much more. Appreciation comes with any gift, no matter the intent. However, what could these gifts mean?
Liao, Marina, and Janae McKenzie. “53 Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him That Will Touch His Heart.” House Beautiful, 26 Jan. 2024, www.housebeautiful.com/entertaining/holidays-celebrations/g3025/valentines-day-gifts-for-him.
Popular things that are often given in the US are sweet treats and words of affirmation to your loved one. The most popular ones that have been given throughout the years have been candy and sweets with 44% in the USA. The next are greeting cards with 33% and flowers with 32%. Although, these are the most common gifts there are so many other ways to show your love and appreciation in different ways. For example, a dinner date, jewelry, clothes, and shoes are also great gifts that are less familiar than the others.
♡ OTHER COUNTRIES CELEBRATION ♡
Many other countries celebrate the day of intimacy in a variety of ways and dates. For example, In Argentina, the citizens do not have the February holiday we have but instead a week of sweets in July. In the tradition, if you kiss someone they have to give you a sugary goody for the kiss. Another example is in Bulgaria, San Trifon Zartan is celebrated by drinking wine with a loved one on the 14th.
Just a few of these examples of different “Valentine’s Day” around the world show the value of having a special day or week to show love and appreciation. Some more examples of the celebration around the world could be Denmark where they exchange handmade cards made with pressed flowers called snowdrops, or it could be Japan where women exchange gifts on February 14th and men do the same on March 14th. The overall theme is deep affection and cherishing for one another.
At the end of the day, everybody, even if you live in a different country finds a way to show that they value a person and Valentine’s Day is super important for that. In the USA, we have chocolates, flowers, and cards while in the Philippines, they have a big gala. Overall, it all comes together in the essential message of this holiday.
Rinaldi, Agostina. “Guide to Valentine’s Day in Latin America - Class Adventure Travel.” Class Adventure Travel, 13 Feb. 2017, www.classadventuretravel.com/guide-valentines-day-latin-america.
Rinaldi, Agostina. “Guide to Valentine’s Day in Latin America - Class Adventure Travel.” Class Adventure Travel, 13 Feb. 2017, www.classadventuretravel.com/guide-valentines-day-latin-america.
Snider, Amber C. “Valentine’s Day: How Did It Start and Become Popular in the U.S.?” Teen Vogue, 9 Feb. 2022, www.teenvogue.com/story/valentines-day-history-united-states.
♡ HISTORY ON VALENTINES DAY ♡
On February 14 also known as Valentine's Day lovers express affection with gifts and greetings and in many other ways. This holiday is considered old originating in the 14th century but originally started before that as something else. Before the holiday was given this name it was first called Lupercalia. No one knows the exact origin of Lupercalia but the holiday was traced back to the 6th century B.C.
The holiday Lupercalia originates in the Roman festival, which celebrates the coming of spring. Even when Valentine's Day shares its name with a martyred Christian saint, some historians believe the holiday is an offshoot of Lupercalia. This holiday had fertility rites and pairing off of women with men by lottery. The holiday was considered a bloody, violent, celebration. The celebration also included animal sacrifice and random match-making and coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility.
“Valentine's Day (February 14th).” Days Of The Year, https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/valentines-day/.
By the end of the 5th century A.D., Pope Gelasius forbade this celebration and replaced it with Valentine's Day. The lovely holiday we have now was not always celebrated as a day of romance until the 14th century. Neither was it a holiday you'd want to celebrate back then. But now the horrible holiday we used to all Lupercalia is the romantic holiday you know as Valentine's Day!
♡ WAYS TO CELEBRATE ♡
Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated worldwide mainly by couples or friends. This holiday is considered very romantic so for most people the ideal way to celebrate would be with your partner. Even if you don’t have a partner many people also celebrate with their friends or in between friend groups. Anyone can celebrate this sweet holiday in many ways too!
Most people buy gifts for their partner or friends popular gifts like chocolates, plushies, or flowers. Many other people make handmade gifts or write a special letter to the person they want to give it to. But gift-giving isn’t the only way you can celebrate the holiday. You can also plan a special event for that day such as a romantic dinner with your partner or a cute picnic with your friends. People even go out with their families to show their love for them. But you don’t always have to have company; some people prefer to spend Valentine's Day alone staying home and eating chocolates, or watching a movie can also be fun depending on how you like to celebrate.
The holiday is meant for people to show their appreciation and love for your special person/people. The holiday is mostly focused on quality time and gift-giving. However, there are so many more ways you can show your appreciation for your loved ones and an endless amount of ideas and plans to celebrate. So for this coming Valentine's Day show your loved ones how much you care for them by celebrating the holiday together however you'd like!
YouTube: Home, 9 November 2017, https://www.google.com/search?q=valentine%27s+day
♡SOURCES♡
Armstrong, Martin. “The Most Popular Valentine’s Day Gifts in the U.S.” Statista Daily Data, 14 Feb. 2017, www.statista.com/chart/8061/the-most-popular-valentines-day-gifts-in-the-us.
What Your Valentine’s Day Gift Says About Your Relationship - the Charlotte Post. 13 Feb. 2014, www.thecharlottepost.com/news/2014/02/13/life-and-religion/what-your-valentine-s-day-gift-says-about-your-relationship#:~:text=Moufarrej%20said%20the%20gifts%20we,a%20message%2C%E2%80%9D%20he%20said.
“Dictionary.com | Meanings and Definitions of English Words.” Dictionary.com, 17 Sept. 2020, www.dictionary.com/browse/love.
Sen, Sukanya. 18 Interesting Valentine's Day Traditions Around the World in 2023! 25 Nov. 2022, traveltriangle.com/blog/valentines-day-traditions-around-the-world.
Markham, Madoline. “51 Best Things to Do on Valentine's Day in 2024 - Fun Date Ideas.” Country Living Magazine, 18 January 2024, https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/g5119/things-to-do-on-valentines-day/.
Valentine's Day 2024: Origins, Background & Traditions | HISTORY, 22 December 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2. Accessed 6 February 2024.
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