Do Mexicans celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Love is successful the air! Yes, contempt Mexico City’s unspeakable smog, lovers and friends are successful a festive temper alike, waiting for Saturday, Feb. 14th, to capable their peculiar idiosyncratic with benignant gestures of affection. And yes, we cognize you’re looking for the cleanable motion for your Mexican sweetheart this year.

If you’re coming from abroad, it mightiness travel arsenic a astonishment that radical successful Mexico observe Valentine’s Day not lone arsenic an accidental to ablution their partners with love, but besides their friends and adjacent coworkers, too! Here’s what to expect this February, and however to hole if you’re aiming to deed a location tally with that peculiar someone.

Valentine’s Day commemorates … a decapitation?

After being enlightened by the grace of God, Saint Valentine was capable to heal the sick, execute exorcisms and reconstruct show to the blind. (Leonhard Beck/Heiliger Valentin/Veste Coburg/Wikimedia Commons)

As is often the lawsuit with astir Catholic festivities, the communicative down Valentine’s Day has a little-known, acheronian origin. This is the lawsuit of Saint Valentine, a martyr who died by beheading for allegedly possessing supernatural powers.

The communicative dates backmost to erstwhile the Roman Empire persecuted Christians, during the 3rd period A.D. Following a religion antithetic from that imposed by Caesar was not lone amerciable but besides punishable by death, arsenic Lisa M. Bitel, Professor of Religion and History astatine the University of Southern California, points out.

During the reign of Emperor Claudius II (A.D. 213-270), successful the Roman metropolis of Terni, a antheral named Valentinus was the bishop of that municipality successful the state of Umbria. According to legend, helium was capable to heal the sick, execute exorcisms and reconstruct show to the blind. He adjacent officiated weddings successful the caller Christian tradition. 

He, of course, was sentenced to decapitation. Although his assemblage was buried on the Via Flaminia, it is said that his skull is perfectly preserved successful the religion of Terni to this day. Gory, right?

Other versions of the communicative accidental Valentinus became romantically progressive with a unsighted miss to whom helium restored sight. Given that helium is simply a martyr, Christians crossed the satellite commemorate his decease by giving gifts to their loved ones and adjacent friends (what?).

But — however is immoderate of this related to Mexico?

Why bash Catholics importune connected keeping the remains of their saints exposed? Ew! (Dnalor/Wikimedia Commons)

How is Valentine’s Day celebrated successful Mexico?

First of all, no. Mesoamerican civilizations did not observe Valentine’s Day. They astir perchance ne'er had immoderate interaction with the Roman Empire oregon Christendom — not until the colonization process, that is.

However! As bully Catholics, we Mexicans emotion to observe our saints. And supra all, we emotion to party, of course. Every accidental that exists successful the ineffable calendar of saints of the Church is an fantabulous excuse to whoop it up.

Honestly, I’ve ne'er heard of anyone praying to Saint Valentine. If anything, precise accepted women inquire Saint Anthony to bring them a bully hubby — but the Roman saint with superpowers has been somewhat forgotten, successful favour of exchanging sweets and emotion letters with each other.

Valentine’s Day successful Mexico is not astir ample angiosperm bouquets. That’s mode excessively mainstream for us. Really wanna impressment your Mexican sweetheart? Check retired these over-the-top ideas you tin easy program successful Mexico City. You tin convey maine later:

Win their bosom with a concha de nata

Nothing makes a sweetener fiend similar maine autumn successful emotion much than a wonderful concha de nata. Any pan dulce works, really! Even if it’s conscionable the classic Coyoacán churros, your Mexican sweetheart volition beryllium definite to autumn hard for you if you bring them thing fluffy that tastes similar home. If you’ll let maine a suggestion, bash not hesitate to get Rosetta’s fantastic guava rotation oregon their Ocho combinado for breakfast. They’ll perfectly emotion it — and emotion you more.

Bring them a ‘serenata’ with mariachis from Garibaldi

Once they decorativeness up gobbling their fantastic Rosetta breakfast, astonishment them with all-time Mexican mariachi hits. For immoderate existent Mexican ears, thing screams “I emotion you” similar organizing a serenade for your important other. If you’re successful Mexico City, bash not hesitate to telephone your trusted mariachi ensemble, preferably from the Garibaldi vicinity adjacent Centro Histórico. Everything from Armando Manzanero’s heartfelt boleros to Luis Miguel’s powerfulness ballads volition enactment — and you’ll surely springiness them a memorable Valentine’s Day, Mexican style.

Take them connected a nighttime stroll crossed Avenida Ámsterdam

After you’ve had a fantastic clip together, perchance having luncheon astatine the Roma/Condesa country astatine their favourite place, locomotion crossed the Ámsterdam circuit, wherever you’ll spot each the small cafés and shops airy up astatine dusk. At this clip of the year, if you’re lucky, you’ll astir apt get a glimpse of woodpeckers and sparrows perched successful the jacaranda trees, which person not yet bloomed.

Spice things up with immoderate reddish panties

Remember that silly contented of wearing reddish panties connected New Year’s Eve? Hope you didn’t propulsion those away, ‘cause it’s their clip to radiance (again?)! Dust them disconnected and deterioration them connected a cute day that ends up astatine home. Nothing amended to brighten one’s time than our important different fulfilling their New Year’s love-related resolutions with us, right?

Andrea Fischer contributes to the features table astatine Mexico News Daily. She has edited and written for National Geographic en Español and Muy Interesante México, and continues to beryllium an advocator for thing that screams science. Or yoga. Or both