A Special Day to Show Love
by Milena Alfonso
The way in which we show our love, affection or appreciation to others may be different according to customs or personal preferences. Caring words, good deeds, gifts, physical contact with warm hugs, and quality time are some examples of the ways we usually express our love for others. In my country Colombia as in most countries, these expressions of affection are part of everyday life, particularly in our family and social environment. However, being able to surprise our loved ones with a beautiful card or a small present on a set day to show our affection and remember how important they are to us make this day a very special date.
Valentine’s Day in the United States or Love and Friendship’s Day as it is known in Colombia has some similarities in the way it is celebrated in both countries. In the same way that on Valentine’s Day gifts are exchanged, chocolates are shared and cards are given with endearment messages, on the Love and Friendship’s Day these represent the most traditional ways of showing our love and affection for others. Dinners in restaurants and romantic nights in hotels are other ways but these are exclusive for couples in love, engaged or married.
The date of this celebration is different in Colombia. While the Love and Friendship’s Day is celebrated anually on the third Saturday in September, in the United States Valentine’s Day is celebrated anually on 14 February.
Another difference is the way the gifts are exchanged. In Colombia the tradition of the “secret friend” is common. It is an activity that takes place during the first or second week of September, in which children and adults participate in different environments such as family, academics or work. It consists of introducing small pieces of paper with the participants’ names in a container. Then, each participant takes out a piece of paper with the friend’s name to whom they will give a gift. During the days before the gift is delivered, the participants sweeten their secret friend anonymously. It consists of giving away all kinds of candy, chocolates, cookies, desserts or fruits with endearment messages until the day the final gift is due, and thus breaking the anonymity.
I have always thought that the secret friend tradition is an exciting way to show affection and anonymously surprise someone for a few days with small details. Despite the fact that people eagerly await the day of the delivery of the gift with the illusion of receiving something they like, I think they like more to discover who is the person who was hidden for days, surprising them with every detail. The most important thing will always be to show our loved ones how much we care and how much we love them. It does not matter which way we choose to do it. So let’s take advantage of this date to do it. Even if it is only once a year.