You do know what the term stands for, right? Funny thing is that rumor has it Valentine's Day was actually invented by this greeting card manufacturer.
I've been witnessing something very interesting with this (obviously) American holiday - Wikipedia says it very well:
In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is Dragobete, which is celebrated on February 24. It is named after a character from Romanian folklore who was supposed to be the son of Baba Dochia. Part of his name is the word drag ("dear"), which can also be found in the word dragoste ("love"). In recent years, Romania has also started celebrating Valentine's Day, despite already having Dragobete as a traditional holiday. This has drawn backlash from many groups, reputable persons and institutions[36] but also nationalist organizations like Noua Dreaptǎ, who condemn Valentine's Day for being superficial, commercialist and imported Western kitsch.
It's true - although we Romanians have a completely authentic alternative for it, we just ignore it, don't we? On Valentine's Day, the city was literally jammed - couples at cafes, movies, restaurants, etc. Advertisers went for it, and have probably had great results this past month. On the 24th? Nothing. A lot of people didn't even know about it.
I don't agree with nationalist organizations (because they're so obsessed with it that they try to translate literally anything and put it into a hilarious context), but the 14th of February is superficial (because every girl out there says she doesn't care about it, yet she throws a fit if she doesn't get any presents), it is commercialist (and you just have to turn your TV on during that week to figure it out) - and it's definitely imported. I think the greater majority of this country's citizens are desperately trying to identify with their apparently better Western friends. Which is just sad.
In the meantime, it's Martisor today (1st of March) - a tradition (designed for women) which is pretty much still working around here - lucky for guys that it's on a Saturday this year. :) Let's observe...
2 comments so far:
The first Valentine's Day card was created about 150 years by the daughter of a Worcester, Massachusetts (USA) book and stationery store owner.
No, her last name wasn't Hallmark. But I think the entire greeting card industry credits this young lady (Esther Howland) as the start of the greeting card industry.
Aha! So the whole story built around this magnificent holiday IS basically a fabrication!
Thanks for the tip!
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