February 14, 2024

While others are in pink and red today…

For years we’ve always known Valentine’s Day’s commercialized themes. When we think of this holiday, we most definitely think hearts, flowers, maybe chocolate…but the colors? Red,white, and pink? 🫤

Now-sometimes I don’t know why we do what we do just because we’ve always done it that way…(or I guess that is THEEE reason) but what if we re-did the colors? Where did all of these “rules” begin? How would that look if we changed em? How do we decide?

I wanted to dig into some of the other cultures’ way of doing this holiday so here’s what I found:

Valentine’s Day isn’t just a Western tradition-(Western society’s just done a poor job over the years with it); it’s celebrated in various forms across the globe, each culture infusing it with its unique customs and traditions.

 Latin America:

• In many Latin American countries, Valentine’s Day is known as “El Día del Amor y la Amistad” (The Day of Love and Friendship). It’s not just a day for romantic partners but also for friends and family to express affection.
• Vibrant festivals and parades often accompany the celebrations, with colorful decorations adorning streets and public spaces.

Japan:

• Valentine’s Day in Japan has a fascinating twist. Here, it’s customary for women to give gifts, usually chocolates, to men. There are two types of chocolates: “giri-choco” (obligatory chocolates) given to male colleagues and friends, and “honmei-choco” (true feeling chocolates) given to romantic interests.
• A month later, on March 14th, known as “White Day,” men reciprocate the gesture by giving gifts to women.

South Korea:

• In South Korea, Valentine’s Day is celebrated not just once but multiple times throughout the year. (How lovely) Beyond the traditional February 14th celebration, there’s “Black Day” on April 14th, where singles gather to eat black noodles and commiserate their single status. *giggles*
• Additionally, there’s “White Day” on March 14th, similar to Japan, where men give gifts to women.

China:

• While not traditionally celebrated, Valentine’s Day has gained popularity in urban areas of China, largely due to Western influences and marketing. (Are we surprised)

However, the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day is the Qixi Festival, also known as the “Chinese Valentine’s Day,” which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. I mean-they’re really still celebrating the lunar new year this month so I get it.

• The Qixi Festival has its own romantic legend involving a weaver girl and a cowherd, and it’s celebrated with traditional customs such as making offerings to celestial beings and praying for love and happiness.

India:

• In India, Valentine’s Day is a relatively recent phenomenon, embraced more by the younger generation in urban areas. It’s seen as an opportunity for couples to express their love through gifts, romantic gestures, and outings.
• However, there’s also cultural resistance to the holiday, particularly from conservative groups who view it as a Western import that goes against traditional values.

When I think of holidays in the Western culture now, I often wonder where things got forgotten or brushed off. Cuz what I see today as gifts to loved ones around a lotta these holidays, I also see the tie ins of how they were originally offerings to gods and goddesses at some point and all of this got lost in translation along the way. 

Now if it were up to me, I’d redo all of this… I’m not sure when pink was decided on for a lotta things but the marketing for that color has done very well for itself. I can see why red made it to the list. It represents romance, passion, blah blah blah…I get it. White? Eternal love, purity, innocence… raises brows… cool. But pink? Softness maybe? Lol…just the mix you get when you combine red and white? Really not sure why it’s included but back to my pitch… 

While others bombard the scenes with red, white, and pink today *yawn*… my suggestions would be green or orange. Now before you cringe at those suggestions, hear me out. 

Green is the *actual* color used for the heart chakra/energy center. It represents love, compassion, trust…all things I’d expect for us to desire on a holiday like Valentine’s Day…

Ok so red can get a pass if we’re bein honest. It’s just-Idk what’s expected now and that makes me wanna question it and rebel. But I don’t immediately think of red as romance and passion now that I’ve been studying energy. I think of safety and survival. Those are a lil heavier than the other meanings we use them for this day lol…

But ORANGE? This would be my second choice for this day. Orange represents what brands are aaaactually pushing on us for this holiday. When I think of energy and this color, I think of the sacral center.  This center houses joy,pleasure,creativity,sexuality…Wouldn’t you think we’d see more of this color on this specific day? 

What color will you be rockin on this day moving forward? 💚