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Mexico celebrates
Valentine's Day, El Dia del
Amor y la Amistad on
February 14.
Warm, festive and generous, this is
how most foreigners who’ve had the
opportunity to live for a while
among us define Mexicans. They say
that not only are we known for
displaying our willingness to show
affection, but also the need for
feeling pampered by those closest to
us.
Maybe that’s why we’ve embraced
Valentine’s Day with such enthusiasm
every February 14th, a
date that many consider somewhat
commercial, but one that we’ve
enriched with our traditions as well
as an original idea or two about how
to show our love for someone,
here in Mexico.
It’s true that celebrating this date
has no connection with our history,
but then again; love is a cause for
celebration for all human beings and
civilizations. And just as the
Greeks and the Romans had deities
that represented this feeling in all
its various shades; so the Mexica,
the ancient civilization that
inhabited Mexican soil, had a
divinity that personified Love.
Well, actually, there were two:
Xochipilli and Xochiquetzal.
Xochipilli was like the Apollo
of the Mexica. Also known as
Macuilxochitl, he was the god of
Love, games, beauty, dance, flowers,
corn and songs. His name meant
‘prince of the flowers’ and he had a
twin sister or wife; Xochiquetzal,
which means precious flower or
ornate bird. She was associated with
the fertility of nature. Centeotl,
the god of corn was their son.
In honor of this pair of gods, four
days of fasting was observed. They
sacrificed by inserting
maguey thorns into their tongues and
made offerings of bread and corn.
They also danced to the beat of
drums called teponaztli.
However, none of this is taken as a
reference for celebrating
Valentine’s Day in Mexico. This
festival is a European contribution
and there are various versions as to
its origin.
One of them says that in the Nordic
countries of Finland, Norway,
Denmark and Ireland, February is the
month when little birds “match” and
mate. Another says that it’s a Roman
feast that became Christian. This
festival was dedicated to Cupid,
the
god of Love, to whom offerings were
made to ask for the ideal love.
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However, the most widespread and
romantic version says that in third
century Rome, when Catholics were
persecuted and soldiers were
forbidden to marry because it was
believed that single men performed
better in battle, a priest named
Valentine was inspired to marry
couples in secret.
Emperor Claudius II found out about
this priest, and although at first
he was drawn to the Catholic faith;
he eventually sentenced him to
death. When the time to die
approached, the priest gave classes
to Julia, his jailer’s daughter. He
also fell in love with her.
On the
day of his execution, he wrote her a
message and signed, 'From your
Valentine'. Hence, many postcards
printed on that date carry this
dedication.
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By late January, the shops and
restaurants are decorated with
hearts, Cupid figurines, balloons
and ribbons. On the streets and
tourist sites, it’s common to see
ballooners, with their colorful
cargo and shopping malls crammed
with suggestions for gifts, ranging
anywhere from a simple card to the
classic stuffed animals and
chocolates, jewelry, perfumes, cell
phones and even underwear!
"Give love...don’t buy it!"says
an old TV commercial that remains in
the popular wisdom of Mexicans. But
the phrase is lost among so many
beautiful things that there are to
give away.
Before, it was mostly women who
received gifts, chocolates and
flowers. Today, it is
quite common for girls to ask boys
out as well, and so
store windows 'for Him' are also
dressed up with paper hearts,
wallets, lotions, shirts and
sweaters.
In effect, the date is commercial,
yet it perfectly fits the loving and
festive nature that defines
Mexicans.
We use this sweet excuse to pamper
our loved ones, friends and family.
Besides, Valentine's Day is
the perfect day to show our feelings
for that boy or girl that we like. The
days prior to this date are filled
with a lot of excitement among our
school mates or neighborhood
friends. We know the couples who
have not yet decided to go steady,
so the guys speculate about who will
end the day together holding hands.
February 14 is also an ideal date to
propose and even to get married!
In schools,
classroom-friendly gift
exchanges are organized. The
kids write their name on a slip of
paper and then place it in a bag or
box. Then each person chooses one of
the slips and thus decides who their
gift will be for. Generally, those
involved in the exchange agree to
the maximum price that will be spent
on the gifts.
Many schools organize bazaars, which
are like small fairs, selling
snacks and appetizers...
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