February 14th. The celebration of lovers. Valentine’s Day asserts itself each year like a familiar refrain known to all. Some play a perfect melody with flowers, roses, and chocolates. Others still struggle to find their voice.
The Origin
Alas for lovers, Valentine’s Day does not have the ancestral value that some storytellers and merchants want to attribute to it. It is a secular celebration, which has not even appeared in liturgical calendars for almost 40 years. Its origin comes from Great Britain. February 14th was the date when birds were supposed to find a mate.
The Big Test for Couples?
Is the occasion to prove one’s love solely based on February 14th? Spouses with “hedgehogs in their pockets” will assure you that “for me, Valentine’s Day is every day!” But the marketing surrounding the event is there to encourage doing more today.
Messages, photos, and videos on Instagram, special filters on Snapchat, reminders on Facebook. A person in a relationship who misses Valentine’s Day is someone living in a cave! Thus, the obligation to ensure in regard to one’s partner is felt.
Small cheeky purchases, grand gestures, one thing is certain, merchants are rubbing their hands with glee. Florists boost their sales, major retailers discount targeted products, the well-oiled Christmas mechanism applies to Valentine’s Day. But the snowflakes have given way to scarlet red hearts.
The Unconcerned
It’s become a trend. The “antis.” Any opposition is good to claim. Those who are not concerned feel like chosen ones able to overcome the commercial fever. Tacky jokes, messages on social media, they proclaim their despair in one way or another, for lack of being able to proclaim their love.
