Good morning readers! It is the month deemed for love! There’s a mixture of emotions I feel i.e. excitement and whimsy, repulsed and loathing, sadness and loneliness. How do you feel about the holiday? Let’s brew about it!
Valentines day, whenever it has come around started with the card giving in school with stickers and candy, which was always exciting as a kid. Who doesn’t like the mystery card of whom gave what and what character was on it and the treat that’s inside of it. Then, it evolves to getting it from a secret admirer or love interest, but there is the assumption right? That the other person is suppose to get you something and if they do will it live up to the expectation? It seems rather unrealistic and kind of entitled. Not that I’m knocking on Valentines Day or anything, but it does feel like it forces people to have to do something which I feel isn’t what it’s suppose to be about.
BUT what IS Valentines Day about? So I poked around. So, there are a number of theories regarding the origins of Valentine’s Day, which are somewhat mysterious. Saint Valentine, a priest in third-century Rome, is the subject of the most widely accepted legend. The story goes that Emperor Claudius II forbade young men from getting married because he thought that soldiers without wives were more effective in combat. Saint Valentine, however, disregarded this directive and carried on performing covert marriages. Valentine was apprehended and given a death sentence after his actions were discovered. He reportedly became friends with his jailer’s daughter while he was incarcerated, and prior to his execution, he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” which is thought to have served as the impetus for the contemporary custom of sending romantic notes.
Currently, the tradition of Valentines Day around the world is a little bit different but all in all the same concept, in Japan women give chocolate to men and they reciprocate by giving back a month later where as Finland celebrates by giving gifts to friends. A new one I noticed for the ladies giving gifts to other ladies is called “Galentines Day.” Which is really cool since you aren’t focusing so much on the romantic love and having the sense of community/ connectivity.; thus kicking the feeling of being “left out” to the curve.
Any which way you want to celebrate, it shouldn’t be just the month of February but any day and any way you choose to express your love. Most importantly don’t forget to love yourself and take time to nourish yourself.
As Always Keep On Brewin!