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| An English Victorian era Valentine card located in the Museum of London-Wikipedia |
Hi there, Toi here. For this special day, I thought I’d share a quick-flash pop-culture lesson about this day as if you didn’t know anything about it. Before I dive in, I should explain that I don’t actually observe this day with my husband. I say Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone I pass and give gift cards to family and friends, but this is not an overly stressful day for me or my husband and we are never disappointed with the outcome of the day. We keep it real low-key and stay inside where it’s safe, and that’s how we like it.
HISTORY
Here’s an idea of where this holiday came from.
CULTURE
Check out this snippet from the article, “10 VALENTINE’S DAY TRADITIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD” by Noreen, on the Today I Found Out site.
Be sure to click the link up top to read the full article and see all 10 traditions.
NEWS
Here's an article I found from CNN.com about how much money people in the U.S. spend on Valentine's Day.
Here’s a little lesson on the 1929 St Valentine’s Day Massacre
Here’s a little lesson on the 1929 St Valentine’s Day Massacre
If you’re up for something more recent, check out this article I found, “ 20 Shocking Valentine's Day Crimes Committed by Lovers,” by Jacob Shelton on the Ranker site (I’d never heard of this site before and do not vouch for its accuracy, but it's really interesting).
MOVIES
Here are a few Valentine's themed movies, but I can't vouch for whether they'll put you in a romantic mood.
BOOKS
Here are the top 4 Valentine’s Day themed books from Goodread’s Listopia (I’ve not read or heard of any of these, but then I’m still getting into romance as a genre, on the whole). See the full list here.
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| Amazon |
MUSIC
Here’s a little Frank Sinatra for all the music lovers out there. If you know any other songs about Valentine’s Day or with Valentine’s Day in them, I’d love to know all about them.
If you didn’t fall in love with this post, I do hope you at least found it entertaining. And whether you observe or not, I wish you all Peace, Love, and Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Posts
Great post Toi! I knew the history of Valentine's day but never bothered to look up traditions around the world. Honestly? The only thing I like about Valentine's that I can get good quality chocolate covered strawberries the next day. When we celebrated the first Valentine's day with my hubby, he made reservation to a fancy restaurant. Let me tell you, it was worse than being rushed out of a busy doctor's office before you finish telling about your symptoms. We couldn't enjoy the dinner because the next couple tapped their feet waiting for the table. Since then we stay at home and enjoy a quiet dinner. I forbade my hubby to buy me roses or gifts, he shows his love every day without expensive gifts. Peace, compassion, and love every day is more important
ReplyDeleteYes, my husband and I went out one time when we were still just dating and decided then, that Valentine's Day was best experienced in the quiet and safety of one's home.
DeleteWomen are supposed to give men chocolate? I like that idea.
ReplyDeleteWe don't celebrate it either. Stressing over gifts and a long wait at a restaurant just doesn't sound like fun.
Yeah, I thought the men would like the first part of the Japan tradition, but if you read further, you'll see that the women are not left out.
DeleteThanks for the history lesson. The history of the traditions was fascinating.
ReplyDeleteYes. That was a fun article to discover.
DeleteInteresting piece, lots I never knew. Hubby and I don't celebrate much. He had roses delivered to me at work once, I made sure that never happened again! A vase of roses in a leather bucket seat on country roads was not fun! He does expect his Valentine's poem though.
ReplyDeleteA poem on Valentine's Day sounds nice. I once had someone send me flowers when I worked as a teacher. I sneezed all day and the kids said, "I don't think these flowers like you."
DeleteI enjoyed reading your post, Toi, especially about the differences between east and west cultures. Valentines day is great for all those stores selling whatever they can to make money. Right, that's my cynical side over. It's nice to have a cosy meal for two and a glass of wine. In fact it's better than nice.
ReplyDeleteBut read on for this happened today.
There is a lovely small shopping area near the sea. We parked and exited the car. I guy walked up to his lovely lady, drew his hand from behind him and gave her a lovely bouquet of flowers before kissing her. She smiled, but carried on with her conversation on her mobile phone as if nothing had happened. How rude is that?
Wow, that is rude. It's a shame when a person can't do something nice and at least be recognized for it.
DeleteI was just going to say I don't "do" Valentine's Day, and a dear friend sent me a PM. OK, maybe I do after all...
ReplyDeleteThank you Toi for a wonderful post!
As with Christmas, I think a lot of people are jaded by materialism and stressfull expectations. Also like Christmas, I don't think these holidays have to be like that if we make the decision not to let them. Happy Valentine's Day.
DeleteI enjoyed every nuance in your article. If little loving gestures are not forthcoming throughout the year, tokens on Valentine's Day will not have much impact.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. My husband and I celebrate each other throughout the year. Valentine's Day is a day for us to spread love to others, without any stress.
DeleteMost excellent post, Toi! Nice history lesson and cultural info. Love the music and film touches, too. My Bloody Valentine films rock!
ReplyDeleteI've never seen it, but maybe I'll check it out one day.
DeleteThis is so interesting! I've never bothered to look up the history of the day, so this is exceptionally useful. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeletewww.ficklemillennial.blogspot.com
Thank you. Glad you liked it.
DeleteI actually resent Valentine's Day because my birthday is on the 12th and for some strange reason, the price of everything goes up - so holidays become prohibitive as do chocolates and even flowers! I also think it is a whole load of mushy nonsense.....why do you need a special day to declare your love? Shouldn't you do it all the time? But thanks for all the history and the movies and the books.
ReplyDeleteAs I stated in my intro, my husband and I don't observe the day together; we choose to do nice things for each other all the time. Still, I don't resent this day or shame those who do observe it in whatever way they choose. My mother and my aunt both have birthdays close to Christmas and have reconciled that their special day may often be overshadowed by the bigger holiday observance. Still, our family always makes a point to recognize them and build them up on their special days.
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