Has Santa promised to bring you a red hot rose and a chocolate-filled
heart this Valentine’s Day? No, we have not mixed up Christmas with
V-Day. Santa might be sitting out of V-day (the grumpy old soul), but that’s no reason why we should not have an
Old Father Valentine or an
Old Mother Valentine bringing us what our hearts desire.
Although
February 14 has been traditionally earmarked as the day to celebrate
romantic love and
couplehood with gifts of
flowers,
chocolates and V-Day cards (we are not ruling out diamonds or the gift of a remote island if your beau’s pocket suits it), you will be surprised to find how the legends and practices vary from country to country and from culture to culture.
To begin with, there is the most popular notion that
Saint Valentine was a
priest who lived in
Rome in the third century. When
Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men to turn them into better soldiers, the kind-hearted priest still performed the weddings in secret till the time he was caught and put to death for defying the emperor. Another version suggests that he was executed for helping the Christians escape from Roman prisons. It is also said that the captive priest fell in love with his jailer’s daughter and wrote her a last letter before his death that said – From Your Valentine.
These are, no doubt, most touching tales and stir up our passion for love, friendship and camaraderie. But before we get all soft and mushy, here are 7 fun facts and oddments from all over the world that will spice up your V-Day this year.
Will Santa sue Jack Valentine? Yes, he may, if what is happening in
Norfolk goes viral. In this county in the East of England, Jack Valentine brings gifts and candy for kids and fancy presents for grown-ups. He leaves those on the doorstep, knocks and then disappears. Sounds a lot like Santa? Well, almost. Only he/she happens to be a close friend or a friendly neighbour who wants to make your day. But we firmly believe in the myth of Jack Valentine and here’s what one BBC writer has to say, “I hope Jack Valentine got a good lawyer. I love Jack dearly, but when Santa finds out what he’s up to, there’s going to be trouble! Let’s face it – turning up out of thin air once a year, leaving presents and disappearing without a trace – it’s the same act. It’s a lawsuit just waiting to happen.”
Not a Saint’s day… it’s a pagan festival, folks. And dates back to Roman times, according to some experts. It has probably evolved from the Feast of Lubercus or the
Festival of Lupercalia that originated in third century Rome and took place every year on February 15. At that time, it was a kind of thanksgiving to
God Lupercus who protected shepherds and their flocks of sheep from hungry wolves roaming outside the city of Rome. During Lupercalia,
Goddess Juno was also worshipped and young people chose their partners for the festival by drawing names from a box. But the
Roman festival went out of fashion when Christianity became prevalent and in 496 AD, Pope Gelasius changed the Lupercalia festival of February 15 to
Saint Valentine’s Day on February 14.
What’s V-Day got to do with birds mating, agriculture? It’s
romance time for your winged
friends – that’s what the people of
Slovenia believe. As per the old European belief, birds choose their mates on February 14 and this might have led to the idea that young people should do the same. Interestingly, the earliest description of the Valentine’s Day tradition occurs in Chaucer’s
Parlement of Foules, composed around 1380, which takes place “on Seynt Valentynes day,/Whan every foul cometh there to chese (choose) his make (mate).” In Slovenia, they also say that
St Valentine brings the keys of roots and the V-Day is the day when plants and flowers start growing. That’s why February 14 is the first day of the year when work begins in the fields. Also, St Valentine, locally known as Zdravko, is considered the patron saint of beekeepers in this part of Europe. Earlier, March 12 or Saint Gregory’s Day was considered the day of love and the first day of spring until the V-Day took over.
In Japan, V-Day chocolate is not that sweet. What the heck! If you are a woman and in Japan, chances are you are buying loads of ‘
obligation chocolate’ and paying out of your own pocket. Traditionally, only
women buy the gift of chocolate on February 14 and different types at that, depending on the nature of the relationship. So you buy
giri-choko or ‘obligation chocolate’ for
bosses,
co-workers,
male friends and casual acquaintances, and
honmei-choko or sweetheart chocolate for boyfriends,
lovers or
husbands. But don’t feel too bitter about it. The
White Day on March 14 is the time when the Japanese males reciprocate and come up with return gifts which are at least two or three times more valuable than the V-Day gifts they have received from the women. But what if you get a present of equal value? It means the romance is over.
Too many love-days in South Korea. You got it right – romance days are just too many in this Asian country. It starts with the traditional Valentine’s Day on February 14 and here, too, women buy chocolate and candy for the men. But just like Japan, the White Day on March 14 sees the men buying gifts for the women (this kind of gift exchange is a nice tradition, we must say). Wait, there’s even more. There’s the
Black Day on April 14 when heartbroken singles (those who never got any gift) flock to local Chinese eateries, sympathise with each other and express their sorrow by eating
jajangmyeon or black noodles – a noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made of black soybean paste (hence the name). Next up on the calendar is
Pepero Day (named after a
Korean cookie stick dipped in compound chocolate) on November 11. With so many days to celebrate, gift-giving expands to a really wide circle of friends,
family,
colleagues and pretty much everyone you know. So chances are no one will have to eat ‘black noodles’ this year for lack of companionship.
No V-Day in Brazil? Don’t be shocked. What we mean is Brazilians don’t celebrate it on February 14 like the rest of the world does. Brazil celebrates its day of romance on
June 12 and it is called
Dias dos Namorados or the Day of the Enamoured. The rituals are the same, though, as people exchange chocolates, flowers and other gifts. But the next day, there is even a bigger celebration as
Saint Anthony’s Day is observed on
June 13 and
single women perform various rites in a bid to find great life partners.
Saint Anthony is known in Portugal, Spain and Brazil as a marriage saint because he used to reconcile couples. And his feast day on June 13 is celebrated with gala parades and colourful marriages that no one is likely to forget.
Vinegar valentines – try them out.
Want to flush some people out of your life? Do it this V-Day. One way of doing it is tear up their photographs and shout abuse on the phone, à la
Jab We Met movie. But why don’t you look up some vinegar valentines, also known as
hate valentines or
penny dreadfuls? They are nothing but elaborate Valentine’s Day cards with a twist – featuring
caricatures and satirical verses/messages that can make the heart burn in the wrong way. This curious tradition started around 1840-1850 and continued till the 1940s. In fact, they became so popular at one point that they accounted for more than 50% of
V-Day card sales. But the tradition died a slow death and the V-Day has become syrupy sweet nowadays. Still, if you would like to send in some
caustic V-Day greetings, you may just find some vintage cards online.
Images: Thinkstock Photos/Getty Images
