Layout by: Amara Dela Cruz
Published by: Kristine Joyce Soriano
Date Published: February 01, 2025
Time Published: 2:22 PM
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Each year, on the 14th of February, people, either romantic or platonically, exchange gestures, sweets, and even flowers to celebrate the heart's day. Valentine's day—known for celebration of romantic love, friendship, and admiration—is one of the highly anticipated events annually. With different ways of showing affection—dates, serenades, and confession—this is truly a special day for everyone.
However, just like any global events, Valentine's day has a rich history behind it as well. Do you know that it was named after St. Valentine of Rome, who was martyred? It was started to be celebrated as a day of romance only during the 14th century; Valentine's Day eventually changed from being a celebration of a patron into a celebration of love.
Along with its diverse history, Valentine's day also has several symbolisms. From only hearts and red-colored objects, it has evolved into many items such as knots, ribbons, and even love birds. With many representations, it is truly fascinating and interesting on how many more ways we can connect love into anything.
In addition to different icons of love, we also have different ways of celebrating the day of affection. May one be more into either Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time or Physical Touch, and there'll still be lots of ways to show love. It can be a simple one just like making a bouquet or giving sweets and letters while it can also be a grand gesture just like tying the knot. Despite most people thinking it's all about the romantic relationships, one can also celebrate friendships and fillolial ones—proving once more that everyone deserves love and affection.
Nonetheless, the question remains—What makes Valentine's day so special and intimate? Mark your calendars with colored hearts as we go back in time to recapitulate the history behind Valentine's Day, its symbolism, and how it is celebrated today.
ROMANTIC CHRONICLES: THE STORY BEHIND THE VALENTINE'S DAY
Have you ever wondered where did the Valentine's Day came from? Well, one might be surprised from its background—Valentine's Day is mostly linked in religious occasions.
Valentine's Day is celebrated annually on February 14. Due to the similarities, many have connected the holiday and the Roman festival of Lupercalia, also held on a similar date. The festival included rites for fertility and pairing of women with men by lottery.
As Pope Gelasius I was convinced that the celebration of the festival threatened the supremacy of the Church over religious life, he forbade the Roman Festival of Lupercalia at the end of the fifth century. As time passed, the festival was replaced with St. Valentine's Day. However, it was not celebrated as a day of romance until the 14th century.
Just like a red string of fate, a prominent religious patron is also the source of the moniker "Day of Love."
The name of the intimate holiday we know today comes from its patron, St. Valentine of Rome. St. Valentine was a priest who was martyred about 270 CE by Claudius II Gothicus. According to some tales, the priest signs a letter that has a written "from your Valentine" on it to his jailer's daughter, who was his friend and possibly the cure for his blindness.
Some stories related the name of the holiday to St. Valentine of Terni, who was a bishop, or to St. Valentine, who defied the emperor's orders and secretly married couples to spare the husbands from war. However, the origin of the name of the holiday is vague at best.
After some time passed, Valentine's Day became a hit for everyone, especially lovers. Many had created many symbols for the holiday that until now is used by everyone to signal the celebration of Valentine's Day. With many symbols of such a romantic day, it is truly a remarkable day for everyone.
SEAL OF LOVE: THE SYMBOLISMS OF THE VALENTINE'S DAY
As Valentine's Day turned from the feast of a patron to a day of love, many people have affiliated many things with the holiday in order to make it even more intimate and memorable. From words to people to things, and even color, almost everything can be connected to the holiday itself if only we look at it in a lovely perspective.
Love Birds is an example of many symbols of Valentine's Day. Although uncommon, many have connected it to love in general, not only during Valentine's Day. The connection of the two started when Geoffrey Chaucer linked it to the time that birds come out of winter and sing love songs to each other.
Love does not only fly above its boundaries but is personally in everyones anatomy, a central part even—Hearts. The heart can mean the human organ, the shape, or the idealism of love. Many poets have used hearts and the way they beat to describe the experience of falling for another person, as the organ is sensitive to our emotions. Through this, hearts create an amazing analogy for authors and readers, making it a renowned symbol indeed.
Have you ever felt that your heart skipped a beat? It would probably be because of Cupid. Cupid is the winged, bow and arrow-wielding baby. He is the Roman equivalent of Eros, a Greek god of erotic love who was described as a young adult. However, Cupid was shifted to be less mischievous and less lustful; that is why using cupids can symbolize longing or love in a cute and inoffensive way.
Roses. In relation to Eros, a god of erotic love, comes Aphrodite, the creator of roses. Many stories said that the origin of the flower was white; it only turned red when it scratched Aphrodite, while some said that it was created when she wept during her mortal lover Adonis's death and her tears grew a flower. However, the relation of the flower to Valentine's Day passed through the 18th and 19th centuries, where "flower languages" were a trend. It is when different flowers convey different things. Red carnations, tulips, and roses were competing for the thought of love during that time, but in the end, roses were used more than the other flowers.
Knots. It is also known as a symbol of eternal love, as it has no beginning or end. It started in Celtic or ancient Arab cultures and has been widely accepted ever since. According to some stories, knots were used by young women who were forced to be imprisoned to communicate their affection to their loved one.
Ribbons. In ancient times, it was considered to symbolize love and romantic feelings, as seen by wives giving ribbons to their kings or knights who were about to embark on battles. The same thing can be done by men to express their feelings to the opposite sex. It originated with the handkerchiefs that were purposely dropped by women and were then picked up by men who they adored.
Countless symbolisms define endless ways to show our love. Valentine's day is not just a day of romance but also a day to widen our creativity. With our personal symbols of love—may it be from an inside joke, a first interaction, or a classic ones—the romantic day could even be more intimate and special.
Along with many symbols are the countless ways to commemorate Valentine's Day. With different love languages, we are able to express our love in many thoughtful, creative, and beautiful ways that we, along with our loved ones, would surely remember a lifetime.
HEART'S DAY SCHEMES: THE WAYS TO CELEBRATE THE VALENTINE'S DAY
Love is a free expression for all we know. Valentine's Day is an opportunity for everyone to express their feelings to one another—romantic or platonic—and regardless of gender. There are many ways to communicate our love to another; however, there are just some things that will be forever imprinted in our brain—the go-to ways to celebrate the heart's day with our loved ones.
First on the list is making a bouquet composed of different flowers. In the 19th century, different flowers conveyed different meanings. With this in mind, creating a bouquet with different flowers, not just roses, is a thoughtful way to express love—in the most creative way possible.
The second one is celebrating friendship. Valentine's Day is not just about romantic relationships—it can also be about friendships and family. Recognizing friendship is a considerate act to our friends, who will always be on our side and whom we will forever love.
The third one is tying the knot. In the Philippines, municipalities organize mass weddings on or around Valentine's Day for those who can't afford a grand event. Due to this, almost around 1500 couples get married simultaneously, making the holiday the most common wedding anniversary in the country.
The last one would be giving chocolate and letters. Giving this pair usually means confessing romantic feelings or appreciating another person. This is usually done by men; however, the opposite happens in Japan—the women are the ones giving chocolate to men. Along with the unique tradition, there are also different types of chocolates given by women to indicate whether it is romantically or platonically.
With many ways of expressing and celebrating love, what are the things that you have tried and/or are willing to try this year? Love's limitless and so its ways of commemoration, you can always go for a simple party or a personal one—either way, you're enjoying the love that has been given and honored to you and everyone else.
With love surpassing different boundaries, its ways of celebration are continuously keeping up with its pace. It is very real that Valentine's is the season of love, and there are countless ways to show appreciation to the people we love because if we want to, we would.
Valentine's Day is a really touching day to reminisce about good memories with our loved ones, create new memories with newly found peeps, and even build new relationships with new people. Ever since its history, Valentine's Day is all about love—either from the priest who wrote secret letters or the bishop who gave chances to couples to get married secretly. With the realization of the importance of this holiday in deepening and building relationships, we have related many things to it—symbols, words, people, and things—proving that love is everything if we look at it in another perspective. Along with the different symbols come different ways of celebration. Showcasing our creativity in this intimate holiday is one of the many reasons why it is special; it is also a reminder that love is whatever we do passionately for the people we give great importance to.
An undying event, indeed. Valentine's Day serves as a highlight of our everyday affection that's unseen and untold. A creative annual event that lets us be free in whatever way we want to express our feelings. As the waves of love come near once again, commemorate the history behind it, confidently respect the symbols, and uniquely celebrate it with your love all around.
REFERENCES:
[1] EncyclopΓ¦dia Britannica, inc. (2024b, November 18). Valentine’s Day. EncyclopΓ¦dia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day
[2]Devlin, T. M. (2024, February 5). A history of valentine’s day words and symbols. Babbel Magazine. https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/valentines-day-etymology
[3] SnapBlooms. (2022, January 19). Most popular valentine’s day symbols & meanings. SnapBlooms Blogs. https://www.snapblooms.com/.../valentines-day-symbols.../
[4] A&E Television Networks. (2024, February 14). 7 unique Valentine’s day traditions. History.com. https://www.history.com/news/valentines-day-traditions
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