Black Valentine's Day, Anyone?

Have you heard of a movement to paint the whole town black as a way of dealing the coming love day? I googled about this so-called Black Valentine's Day, but failed to find a good read regarding this queer celebration as a popular culture, hence this attempt.

Black.

I had a professor way back in college whose son was reportedly killed with no due justice. As her own way of dealing such loss, she wore all black dress for a year. I wonder now how much her mourning fashion cost her and how her wardrobe looked like.

For most of us, black is the color associated with death. It is usually the symbol for emptiness, absence, negative, pain, end, misfortune, sorrow, and tragedy. White reflects lights and is a presence of all colors, but black absorbs light and is an absence of color.

Many of the expressions in any language associated with black seem to connote negative meanings such as black sheep, black mark, black propaganda, black mood, black heart, black eye, black out, and black market.

Valentine's Day.

I remember my high school days when everybody seemed busy making love letters with drawings of hearts and Cupid as the so called love season approached. I remember giving cards to some distant cousins, childhood classmates, and special friends.

The heart and Cupid are the most common symbol for Valentine's Day. According to this site, the heart may be linked with romantic love because the ancient Greeks believed it was the goal of Eros, known as Cupid to the Romans. Anyone shot in the heart by one of Cupid's arrows would fall hopelessly in love.

Our present Valentine's Day is commonly celebrated through exchanging of letters, chocolates, and flowers. It is a special opportunity to express one's love in a romantic way. The day is more special among couples and lovers who go out for a romantic dinner of two.

Black Valentine's Day?

Death and heart? Sadness and romance? Grief and passion? Emptiness and affection? Tragedy and love? Black and Valentine's Day are opposite words with different meanings. Combined as one phrase, it brings out an antithesis of feelings with a renewed meaning.

There is a growing popular culture, if it is, of Black Valentine's Day mostly among the uncommitted species. In common social networking sites, informal movements like wearing black clothes on the very love day is common. People usually show disdain by posting break up letters, venting their sad stories or sharing links of sentimental songs.

For me, a black Valentine's Day simply means loveless. I will probably just look around, head to the bank, eat outside for a treat, go home a bit late and light a mosquito coil before going to sleep!