Valentines and Its Purpose

 The History of Valentine’s Day: Its Origins, Traditions, and Customs

           Each year, February 14th marks Valentine's Day, a worldwide day of love and admiration33. Although this holiday is generally celebrated by exchanging cards and gifts, the true meaning of the holiday is recognizing the loving relationships that unite people from many different cultures.[3] Valentine's Day is a day for lovers, and to thoroughly understand it, we must first trace the convoluted history behind this sweetheart day, including its true meaning, as well as the various ways in which people express love3.

          Valentine's Day has complex and somewhat obscure origins, most of which is just an academic discussion of various theories about its genesis[1]. One theory links it to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a pagan rest that took place in mid-February3. This festival to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, involved rituals aimed at fecundation, purification of the land, and dismissal of evil spirits3. Lupercalia did not have ties to love in the way that we practice it today, but the dates are close to each other, prompting some to speculate that the tradition prompted Valentine's Day to evolve at all[3].

          The other interesting part of the history of love on 4th February is the story of Saint Valentine, a Christian martyr3. Some of these legends make the case that he challenged Emperor Claudius II's ban against marriages (to keep men in the field and free from their wives)4. That Valentine married couples in secret, for which he was imprisoned4. Another story follows he became friends with his jailer's daughter and wrote her a note signed "from your Valentine" before he was executed[4]. Whatever the case, over time St. Valentine became associated with love and romance, helping establish the holiday’s identity4.

           The 1500s saw formal declarations of love in the form of “valentines,” with “commercial” printed cards first being used in the late 1700s[1]. The mass production of Valentine's Day cards in the 19th century, particularly through the work of Esther Howland in the United States, helped to popularize the holiday immensely[1]. These cards typically had romantic poems and elements like hearts and cupids[1].

           Valentine’s Day is all about expressing feelings for each other which come in several forms depending on how lovers relate to each other[3]. However, traditional gifts—candy and flowers, especially red roses, which represent love and beauty—are still some of the most popular; however, the most meaningful expressions often come in the way of personalized gestures1. Such as acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation, thoughtful gifts, and physical touch, each of which have special meaning to the recipient[3].

         A Final Note: February 14 is a little of each — an amalgamation of historical, cultural and personal expressions of affection3. Ending with its likely origins from ancient Roman celebrations, the legends of St. Valentine, card commercialization and the global recognition of love and connection that we know today in the form of collective love and appreciation1[2] Armed with this knowledge of Valentines' complex history, and an understanding of the diverse ways of expressing love, we can rise above the commercialisation of the occasion and learn to forge deeper and more meaningful connections with the people we love.

References:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2025, February 7). Valentine's Day. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day

Valentines Day  - World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Valentine's_Day/ Retrieved from

(2024, February 14). Valentine’s Day 2024: Ahead of its history, significance, customs and more The Indian Express. Valentine’s day 2024: Tracing its history, significance, traditions and more

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2017, September 7). St. Valentine. Encyclopedia Britannica. Britannica does not have a video to accompany this article.

"Exploring Hidden Garden as a Tourist Destination"

Hidden Garden of Vigan: A Tourist Destination Through the Lens of Community-Based Research"

 

 Team Discussion and Planning

We are having a discussion to finalize our strategies and ensure that our research process runs smoothly.  

Planning Session

 We are carefully planning our next steps, organizing our tasks, and refining our approach for the research.  

Searching for Respondents 

We are looking for potential interviewees to gather a variety of perspectives that will enrich our study.  

Conducting an Interview

We are actively engaging in an interview, gathering valuable insights to support our research.  

Interview with a Stall Owner

 We are conducting an interview with a stall owner, asking questions related to the research.

Exploring Hidden Garden

 We are roaming around Hidden Garden, observing its attractions and gathering relevant.

Interview with the Barangay Captain

We had the opportunity to speak with the barangay captain, collecting important information about the community’s perspective.  

Writing the Research Paper

We are focused on writing our research paper, compiling data, and organizing our findings.  

Navigating Challenges and Growth: My Third Quarter Reflection

"From Codes to Confidence: Lessons Learned in the Third Quarter"

          I am currently ending third quarter and reflecting on my biggest learning experiences, challenges, and opportunity to overcome obstacles. This quarter has taught me a lot in terms of research and building a website, forcing me to step out of my comfort zone.

What I Have Learned/Discoveries I’ve Made? 

          This quarter, working on our Community-Based Research (CBR) and creating websites has been one of the greatest learning experiences. With this, too I learned new coding practices, how to properly formulate web pages, and how to write lists. I loved to see how various codes work side by side the different features of a website; I saw a new perspective into web development.

At What Points the Problems/Challenges Hovered Over Me? 

          While these are things we learned, it wasn’t an easy process. I had a hard time memorizing codes, and there were time errors while building the website, which needed some patience and debugging. Since we were also trying to do interviews for our CBR it was quite daunting. Because the rest of my group and I were naturally hesitant to talk to strangers, reaching out for interviews felt like a daunting task. To further complicate matters, we stuffed the CBR as well, which added to the stress of it all.

How Did I Resolved These Challenges? 

          To deal with these struggles, I decided to practice and practice until I got the hang of writing code. When errors popped up, I didn't get frustrated, I just made the time to debug and troubleshoot. To make things easier for the interviews, my groupmates and I divided tasks. And so we wrote scripts and questions ahead of time to feel more confident about talking to people. We also had to organize like never before and think on our feet.

Moving On, I Will…

          Now that we are in the last quarter, I will be working on my time management skills so that I do not have to cram on important projects. I will also continue practice website development in order to accelerate skill parts and become more acquainted with it. Key Post to work on — Confidence Communication is very important because interviews & interactions are part of future projects.

          While this whole quarter may have been hard on all of us, it has taught me things such as resilience, problem-solving, and the importance of teamwork. These experiences will definitely contribute to my academic and personal growth in the future.

Why Filipinos Embrace the Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year 2025: A Celebration Bridging Cultures

          The year of the Wood Snake (Chinese New Year 2025) is celebrated on 29 January 1. The festival is also referred to as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival1. The festivities are rounded off with the Lantern Festival on 12 February[5]. The public holiday in China spans January 28th–February 3rd[5].

          Some of the traditions associated with the celebration include dragon and lion dances, giving of ang pao (red envelopes), preparing lucky foods, and decorating in red and gold[1]. Firecrackers and fireworks are lit to scare away evil spirits[1]. Many go to temples and shrines to pray for blessings[1]. Many also follow Feng Shui practices[1].

           In the Philippines, Chinese New Year is a unique non-working holiday[3]. With its diverse multicultural heritage and the cultural influence of China, Chinese New Year is also observed in the Philippines1. The Chinese or Lunar New Year celebration has been in the Philippines for hundreds of years[2]. Without question, Chinese culture is ingrained in Filipino culture and life[2]. Filipinos celebrate by sharing greetings, feasting on Chinese food and consulting Feng Shui experts[3]. They will also give ang pao and eat tikoy[2].

Citations:

[1] https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/619422/chinese-new-year-2025-8-traditions-practiced-for-the-spring-festival

[2] https://mb.com.ph/2025/1/22/celebrating-chinese-new-year-as-a-filipino

[3] https://asiasociety.org/philippines/chinese-new-year-celebrated-philippines

[4] https://www.traveloka.com/en-en/explore/tips/where-to-spend-chinese-new-year/17491

[5] https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-celebration.htm

[6] https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/1/27/celebrate-chinese-new-year-with-festive-dining-1348

[7] https://www.globe.com.ph/go/travel-food/article/chinese-new-year

[8] https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/28/500-000-flock-to-jones-bridge-for-chinese-new-year-countdown-0707