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Today is Valentine’s day (El Día de San Valentín or in some places Día de los Enamorados).  Not to be confused with La Diada de Sant Jordi, the day in April when all of Catalonia celebrates their patron saint, Saint George, who supposedly vanquished a dragon in order to save his true love.  Valentine’s day is celebrated in Spain much like it is everywhere else in the world.  Lovers exchange gifts of sweets and flowers, and romantic dinners are shared in fine restaurants or dressed-up dining rooms.  Because Catalonians are so deeply connected to their families, the children often receive small toys or treats and a child might surprise his mother or grandmother with a bouquet of lovely flowers or a blooming plant.  Much like in the U.S.

However, this is only a small holiday here.  A day to recognize the Roman bishop, Valentine, who is said to have performed marriages forbidden by the Catholic church and was ultimately executed on the 14th of February in some year B.C.  One version of his story tells that he left behind a note for his own sweetheart and signed it “from your Valentine” thus starting the trend of love letters and romance on this date.   In fact, the Catholic Church gave up celebrating this holiday in 1969 but the Spanish are romantics and they cherish their legends so, even though they are mostly Catholic, this holiday is still celebrated by the masses.  

In the U.S., holiday-related decorations and goods begin appearing in the stores as early as January 1 while shelves are being cleared of Christmas and New Year paraphernalia.  Out with the old holiday and in with the new one.  Malls offer sales events around Valentine’s Day.  Jewelry stores especially broadcast advertisements telling you to show your love by way of an expensive purchase a.k.a. “timeliness gift” that someone will hopefully treasure.  Everywhere you look for nearly six weeks, there are hearts, roses, and various pink and red-colored odds and ends in shop windows, grocery stores, pharmacies, and even gas stations.  Valentine’s Day is a big deal.  It’s part of the “romance trifecta” (Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s) often referenced by Hollywood and magazines.  It’s a big part of our culture and we have lots of traditions celebrating this day.  One year, my boyfriend bought me heart-shaped earrings and a similar pendant made of “pink ice”.   I pretended they were diamonds and felt like a princess. For as long as I can remember, my father sent roses to my mother and I every Valentine’s Day. 

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In the U.S., children frequently bring cards and sometimes candies to school to give their classmates as part of this holiday celebration.  In fact, Allita has done this every year that she attended U.S. school and the pressure to “out do” the previous year’s contributions seems to escalate in the days before the actual event.  Last year, the school sent home a letter encouraging parents not to send candy or sweets but instead to consider a small gift or healthy snack alternative.  As if.  I get what they were trying to accomplish but that’s like asking your neighborhood to hand out toothbrushes on Halloween instead of candy.  It’s a nice enough idea but the practical reality is, healthy treats are more expensive and time consuming to purchase and prepare.  Also, the kids would hate it.  I mean, it takes forever to get twinkle lights off a cactus so I would not want to even consider how difficult removing rolls of toilet paper would be.  (There is little doubt my AZ house would be “tricked” if I were to suggest healthy alternatives as Halloween “treats”. There are too many teenagers in that neighborhood.)

In Barcelona, the celebration of the arrival of the Three Kings on January 5th was the conclusion of the Christmas holidays. Stores and streets began removing all remaining associated holiday items so that everything was returned to “normal” around 10 January.  Some places where a profusion of decorations were strung across several streets by the various shopkeeper’s associations took a little longer to dismantle and store. However, by mid-January the only advertisements I saw were those about winter sales events and clearances.  There was no indication that Valentine’s Day was coming.  No-one even mentioned it.  In fact, until just recently, I was beginning to get a little concerned that it might not even be celebrated here.    

One day, about a week ago, Allita and I were walking down the main street of Sarriá and she noticed a sign posted on the wall of a nearby building.  We investigated and discovered it was an advertisement for the national lottery drawing that would be held on 15 February and was thus titled “Sant Valentin”.  We were both highly amused at the blatant suggestion that this holiday is associated with windfalls of money – what a “lovely gift” indeed – and thus ensued a long discussion about holidays and commercialism. 

Almost the next day, we saw the first signs of Valentine’s day in the bazaars.  Remember, the bazaars are the outcome of a cross between “Dollar Tree” and “Family Dollar” so they frequently are the initial source for cards, wrapping paper and other seasonal supplies.  Next, one nearby grocery store erected a stand of candies and treats.  Then another grocery store introduced stuffed animal toys.  Eventually, we noticed store window displays at the paper store (cards, stationary, games) and the confectionary (specialized sweets) all advertising the upcoming holiday.  Finally, yesterday, literally one day before the holiday, the bakeries and flower stands started decorating and displaying their heart-shapes and bouquets.  Gradually, and with little fanfare, the holiday was upon us.  

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Valentine’s Day in Barcelona is celebrated between lovers and those who share a deep loving bond, like parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Young children are not encouraged to give cards expressing love and affection to other children in their class. In fact, this is not a holiday that the school celebrates at all.  This actually makes sense to me.  Allita isn’t enamored of any of her classmates or teachers so a Minnie mouse card gushing “My #1 Love” would not work for her.  They don’t even sell those tiny little packages of cards and candies here.   In fact, the stationary store had only the few tiny gifts and custom cards shown in their window display!

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According to Mercedes, my local baker, the purpose of Valentine’s day is to honor a holy man who valued kindness and love so much he was willing to sacrifice his life so that others could share these feelings.  For most Catalans, this means a special sweet and a bunch of flowers for someone they love. In her shop, most of the holiday treats are made with fruits in addition to chocolate and cream so that people have less guilt in eating them.  In fact, she reminds me, Saint Jordi day in April is the biggest day to celebrate love in Catalonia and, for that reason, only a few stores offer goods to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day.  It’s really just a small holiday.  Just another “Saint-someone” day on a Catholic calendar already dotted with such days.

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We celebrated Valentine’s Day this morning.  We enjoyed breakfast together and exchanged homemade cards.  Allita and Mom had a few sweet treats.  We talked about how much we love each other and how much we love and miss those who have helped us celebrate this holiday in the past.  We all agreed that we hope everyone enjoys a wonderful and lovely Valentine’s Day today.  No matter how you celebrate it – big or small. 

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