Valentine’s Day is almost upon us so it is important to tell your loved ones how much you care.
Last-minute shopping for gifts is limiting our options. On the high end, some consider diamonds and on the low end, a cheap box of candy. Here in the islands, we have a living option that can be enjoyed for years without destroying our bank accounts or adding more pounds on to what we weighed after the holidays. There are many plants that are perfect gifts at this time. The first ones that come to mind are anthuriums and orchids, but you may want to consider succulents and bromeliads for loved ones who may have slightly brown thumbs. However, don’t give a cactus or it might be misinterpreted as a negative. If you use your imagination, the sky is the limit.
Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate our love for spouses, friends and family, but most folks don’t know about the dark origins of this holiday. Its history is shrouded in mystery. It appears to have started with the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Of course, they borrowed it from even earlier pagans. At any rate, before it became a Christian holiday, men sacrificed goats or dogs and then whipped the women with the hides of slain animals. This was supposed to enhance fertility! According to some historians, there was lots of drinking and nakedness. A lottery was often included where men would pull women’s names from a jar for the temporary match. Some matches lasted and some were one-night stands. The result was almost certain fertility!
Pope Gelasius I recast the pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496 AD. The name, St. Valentine’s Day appears to be named for two martyrs with the same name executed by Emperor Claudius II in the third century AD. Their martyrdom was ultimately honored by the Catholic Church.
Shakespeare and Chaucer romanticized it in their works. Handmade cards became the tokens-du-jour in the Middle Ages, so today we see the holiday in a much more romantic way. But what really made big business of it all was the mass production of Hallmark Cards starting in 1913. This year sales of cards and gifts are expected to be around $20 billion dollars!
We could look at Valentine’s Day from a cynical point of view considering its origins, but love saves the day. The joy of selecting a card or gift for loved ones brings out the best in us. On the receiving end, it warms hearts and helps our spouses, children, parents and friends feel very special.
Sometimes it is hard to know what to give those for whom you care. The old saying “Candy is dandy and wine is fine” works for some.
Other folks might give jewelry, but for the Hawaiian gardener, what could be better than giving or receiving a living plant? Anthuriums come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
Whatever gift you decide upon, just forget about the strange origins of the holiday and remember to give with all the love you can find within yourself. You will find giving with love is one of the key elements of Hawaiian Aloha.
Norman Bezona is professor emeritus, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
