The Party Isn’t Over! Banning Saint Valentine's Day in Russia Proves Impossible!
By Stephen Wilson, one of our reporters abroad
Vitaly Milonov
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"Neither in schools nor in state institutions should this holiday be recognized. It is not a good decision to hold such events in our country....It is a cargo cult of well-fed western life.." declared the Russian politician Vitaly Milonov, who, ranting against the threat to moral and spiritual values as well as Russian customs, called for the celebration to be banned!
It seemed a bit late to call for a ban on the very day it was being celebrated. But it was not too late for Russians to carry on celebrating this holiday on the 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th and even today (the 20th)!
The promotion of this celebration is almost ubiquitous. All kinds of special offers and discounts for cheap gifts are blatantly displayed on billboards, shop windows and in newspapers. You see gaudy red heart-shaped balloons on shop window panes. On the 14th of February, eight pages of the Russian edition of Metro newspaper were devoted to covering the celebration. At my local kiosk you read the words “Present a book with love... The 14th is a day of book giving.” The Eat Food mall at Sokol has still not taken down all the symbols of this day! So if you didn't manage to celebrate it then there is still time!
If the Russian schools grant permission to organize a party then there still might be some restrictions. An organizer of such a party told me "As a D.J. I can't just play any song a school student requests. I have to first consult a list of proscribed Russian singers who can't be played because of their outspoken position on the Special Military Operations. We are also not allowed to play western music. I find it difficult to remember all the names on the list so I have to constantly take a look at it."
So it is clear that there are a kind of counter sanctions in operation throughout Russia in retaliation for some cultural bodies in Europe banning the performance of Russian musicians, plays and literature.
As expected, the sale of cosmetic items, greeting cards, chocolate, and flowers shoots up. Businessman cash in on those days and the price of roses can rocket. In relative terms, the celebration of Saint Valentine's day is quite recent. This day was not celebrated in the Soviet Union, but over the past 30 years this celebration has become increasingly popular. This is not always celebrated in a traditional western way.
I think Russians mainly celebrate it in their own ways. One popular way of celebrating it is to make colorful boxes with slits which are then placed in school for any pupils to send a letter addressed to their loved ones. An organizer told me "We have to collect those letters and distribute them to the people addressed. I think the main thing is for school students to have fun."
Around ten years ago a school pupil told me "All the girls get Valentine cards as we don't want anyone to be left out and feel upset." I didn't inquire but wondered about the logistics of managing to do this. Not all the letters addressed to people are written anonymously.
And two Soviet celebrations are imminent: the 23rd of February known as 'The Defenders of the Fatherland Day' where men serving in the armed forces and other state institutions are expected to obtain presents and affection, and on the 8th of March-- “International Women's Day” where women are showered with presents, flowers, and attention.
What can be more innocuous than articulating and expressing your love for someone? If this is a genuine expression of love from the soul then surely it is harmless! In this age of anxiety and anger fueled conflict then it certainly should be more than welcome.
The exact origins of this celebration still remain unclear. Whence did it come from? Was it originally a pagan celebration by the Romans or did it take off with the rise of Christianity when the Roman emperors imprisoned a saint by the name of Valentine for preaching Christianity? One version is that in the 3rd century a Saint Valentine was imprisoned by the Emperor Claudius for secretly allowing Roman soldiers to marry their loved ones in a forbidden Christian ceremony. The Roman Emperor banned Roman soldiers from marriage. He thought such a marriage might make his soldiers weaker.
The English poet Chaucer wrote about this day in his “The Parliament of Fowls” {1381} and in Shakespeare's “Hamlet” Ophelia is referred to as 'Hamlet's Valentine'.
From the 19th century the celebration was fully commercialized by florists, card makers, and chocolate manufacturers.
…Then by the turn of the 19th century in England, the celebration waned. It had turned into a toxic event. People were abusing the celebration by playing pranks such as giving empty boxes with no presents, sending rude and offensive cards, and ridiculing the celebration, also.
How this day could be abused was expressed by Thomas Hardy's novel “Far from the Madding Crowd” {1874} where a woman sends a Valentine card as a joke to a man she does not love. Unfortunately, this man takes the card seriously and this situation culminates in a series of tragic events.
For some reason, after the First World War this day became popular again! But the history of this day should serve as a warning about how such a day can easily be abused and even turn totally toxic…
Some people even claim that many isolated people find Saint Valentine's Day the loneliest day of the year, along with New Year's Day. This is particularly sad. We should at least take this day as an opportunity to openly discuss what we really mean by love and how we can learn to practice it.
People often presume that defining love is self-evident and clear. Yet ask people and you can get back different answers. Some regard it as a mere emotional state while others might stress how love is an active state encompassing respect, knowledge, care—and never taking your loved ones for granted. Some can imagine love without sex while others might deem it impossible…
Love can manifest itself in so many different forms and ways that it can't be reduced to just romance. For instance, you have platonic love, brotherly love, maternal love, the love between comrades, and all kinds of friendship.
A Scottish friend of mind told me with a chuckle "Romance is for young people!"
Freud once stated “After marriage comes the hangover.” In other words, love is not just amusement but demands a lot of effort and hardship.
But since Saint Valentine's Day is largely celebrated in good faith and is an integral part of the history of English literature it would be churlish to chide or mock the romantics! There are just some people who are incurable romantics. They are hopeless but harmless romantics!
So let the party carry on!