Valentine’s Day is markedly a day we take a breath (from the ordinary preoccupations and toils of everyday life) and honour Love.
Bouquets and boutiques decorated in traditionally reds, pinks and whites dot the street stalls and malls. And there is aroma of chocolates and sweetness in the air.
Valentine’s Day has its origins in stories of the festival of Lupercalia and the martyrdom of St. Valentine in Roman times. Greek goddess Aphrodite stained a white rose with her blood upon the dying Adonis (whom she loved), and according to myth, this was the first red rose on earth. We read about blood and sacrifices, juxtaposed with romantic passion and grief, and prayers for birth and fertility. With such heightened emotions, one can’t help but hold our breath as our heart beats in reverberation with our hormones.
Does Love always present itself as Red? – you may ask.
Human emotions, as represented by colours, are as sophisticated as modern technology would make of digital colours. We have projected meanings onto colours that carry the range of emotions we hold inside us. The meanings we found on the internet are certainly over-generalized and may differ from subjective experiences and cultural contexts. Yet guess what, in a shopping frenzy, someone may use them as a guide to choose a particular gift or bouquet. Here’s one for reference:
How do you personally experience Valentine’s Day?
Colour meanings may give us a starter to observe how we personally experience Valentine’s Day.
We may think of giving our current spouse or partner a gift in his/her favourite colour. We may recall a past relationship, a particular person, and the memories are a different hue and a different shade. We may have a colour label for singlehood.
We may be past the age of blushing pinks and spicy reds, and would prefer golden shades of marigolds, burgundy of old wines, or calming deep indigo when we refer to our Valentine. For some communities, love is love and is represented proudly by the full rainbow hues.
Give your love an expression unique to your memories and life experiences.
We anticipate more shades of love – in self-love, romantic partnerships, friendships, familial kinships – than what could be merchandised for Valentine’s Day.
Paint your V-day in colours best comfort or entice you for Love. Wear the colour, make a craft, write a message in colour, or simply visit a place radiating the colour of your Love.
An invitation
Join us in this V-day Special Pastel Art Workshop with Sarana. Paint the colours of your Love.
