by Ruth Kenny

Valentine’s Day means different things to different people. For those lucky enough to be in a relationship, it is a celebration of the great feeling of being in love and for the singletons in our midst ‘Singletons Awareness Day’ can be one of the low points of the calendar year! For some it presents an opportunity to express unspoken feeling or to propose cliched as it may be. From a commercial perspective, for both florists and chocolatiers it is the busiest day of the year with the likes of El Corte Inglés going to great lengths to capitalize on the opportunity for increased sales of confectionary and gifts. In fact, 14 February is the second most popular ‘Hallmark holiday’ after Christmas with the company selling over 1,300 different styles of Valentine’s cards worldwide. However, one can enjoy the day without subscribing to the hype and commercialisation that goes with it.

San Valentín is celebrated in Spain with the customary roses to girls from their sweethearts and books to men from their ladies. Renowned worldwide as a passionate people, the Spaniards are often elaborate in their efforts to woo their beloved, although V-day is still not as big a deal as in other parts of Europe and America.

St Valentine was a Roman saint, executed in 270 AD for secretly marrying couples in defiance of an order of the Roman emperor. The emperor had banned marriage after Roman men began refusing conscription in order to stay home with their wives. Nowadays, from Madrid to Manhattan and Dublin to Dubai, people all over the world make a special effort for their special sweetheart on 14 February. The traditions vary from place to place. For example in the Far East, in Japan and Korea, women are the traditional gift-bearers. Men reciprocate a month later on ‘White Day’ when they give white chocolate to their loved one.

Even singletons get a special day in Korea, 14 April is Black Day and is celebrated as single folk gather together to eat black jajong noodles,mourn their single life and to lament smug couple syndrome no doubt…depressing or what?!

In most of South America the Día del amor y la amistad (Love and friendship day) is quite popular with the exception of Colombia where Valentine’s Day is celebrated in September. The Brazilian version, Dia dos Namorados, takes place on 12 June and women perform rituals to aid them in finding a husband… screams desperation, Bridget Jones style… Which brings me to my next point: How do singletons fare on this day of coupledom?

For many solteras and solteros out there V-day = D-day. It spells doom and is greeted with trepidation and hysteria. The big challenge is getting through the day without resorting to smug couple homicide! On Valentine’s Day, surrounded by all the hype, it’s easy for single ladies in particular to have visions of themselves as future crazy cat lady!

Personally, I plan to go out with friends for dinner and dancing on Valentine’s Day and the truth be told, if my secret Spanish lothario were to announce his undying love on Valentine’s Day, I’d likely not be that impressed… In the words of Bridget Jones, “I’m still looking for something more extraordinary than that”.

Sharing Chocolate with your Sweetheart on Valentines Day:

I have always maintained that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a romantic meal followed by a sweet dessert and nightcap!
So for all the Jamie Oliver’s and Nigella Lawson’s in Madrid, Valentines day presents the perfect opportunity to whip up a sumptuous feast for that special someone….preferably involving copious amounts of Chocolate…
White, Dark, Milk..from heavenly hand-made truffles to luxurious hot chocolate…regardless of form, its mouth-watering melt in the mouth magic (packed in the mandatory red heart-shaped box with a bow) is virtually synonymous with St. Valentines Day.
Following January’s abstinence in the wake of ambitious New Years resolutions in February sales of chocolate boom. Chocolate has become the edible symbol of love. Chocolate makers have capitalized on this association with the first heart-shaped box sold in 1868 by Richard Cadbury. Dating as far back as the Middle Ages Spaniards added cane sugar to sweeten their chocolate drinks. In the 1600’s as chocolate emporiums opened across Europe, chocolate gained popularity not only for its decadence but also for its supposed aphrodisiac properties.

Sweet & Sinful Sensuous Dessert – Chocolate Fondue :

A personal favourite, this is easy to make, delicious to eat and incredibly romantic to share.

Ingredients:
½ cup of heavy whipping cream
12-14 ounces bittersweet/ dark chocolate

For dipping:
Diced pineapple, Sliced bananas, Stemmed strawberries, Orange slices, Marshmallows, Salted prezel sticks.

Directions: Slowly heat cream until it reaches a low boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let stand for 3-5 minutes until it is fully softened,then whisk together. Pour into a fondue pot (or glass bowl) and light a tea light underneath so the fondue remains warm. Arrange skewers alongside fruit for dipping. Serve by candlelight!

Can’t buy me love :
The post Christmas lack of funds and ‘creesis’ doesn’t have to spell a romantic recession. The festival of love and romance that is V-day somehow got contorted into how much you spend. For those on a shoestring budget it is still possible to lavish love. With a little imagination and creativity the results can be magnificent! How about writing a love note or several to your valentine…You could even go all out and blitz your baby with a funny little valentine by sms every hour on the hour!I’m sure that facebook has some valentine superpoke offering or obscure E-kiss option! Another idea would be to fill your sweethearts office with red and pink balloons. For those who like to be different they could celebrate on February 15th when the accoutrements are in rebajas at Corte. This also has the added benefit of being your special day,different from the masses.

The city of Madrid lends itself to romantic walks and candlelit dinners, sharing tapas in a pavement cafe followed by a romantic flamenco show. A winter picnic in Retiro park, or in the Opera Gardens in front of the Palacio Real, or perhaps a romantic stroll down the Paseo del Prado are a good option for the outdoorsy types.

Valentine’s Viaje

For those planning a weekend break for their beloved what better place to spend V-day than the Emerald Isle of Ireland. Here you can visit the original cupid himself in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin. In 1835 Pope Gregory XVI gave the relics of St. Valentine to the church to boost Catholicism and to this day the Church houses a shrine to St. Valentine, consisting of an altar, life-sized statue and wooden casket containing his ashes. One could take a stroll along the Grand canal in Dublin made famous by renowed Dublin poet Patrick Kavanagh, followed by the obligatory trip to a pub for an Irish coffee and some live music.

The whole weekend could take a romantic theme as there are a plethora of magical locations throughout Ireland to enjoy quality time with your partner. If your budget stretches to it you could spend the day at an Irish castle like Bunratty Castle in the heart of County Clare where one can enjoy medieval court and banquet food.. including a serenade for your lover by a minstrel.

If you fancy something ‘super cutre’ you could walk out to Dublin Bay and make like Leo and Kate in ‘Titanic’..flashback to the scene at the prow of the titanic, iconic view of Di Caprio showing Winslet to fly. The doomed ship was built and last seen in Ireland..However a re-enactment could prove difficult an alternative would be to walk out to Dublin Bay and once you reach the lighthouse you are virtually at sea. (Cd Player with Celine Dion would be a nice touch to the jazz the whole thing up and make it really cutre!)

If you feel like you’d go to the end’s of the earth for your loved one why not hit Dunmore Head which is Europes western-most point ( excluding off-shore islands)..Try catch a sunset in the Atlantic ocean and romance blossoms!
Other mystical locations in Ireland to spend treasured moments could be the Celtic city of Galway which has great restaurants and a roaring nightlife for all ages. This great city is also surrounded by countryside with rolling green hills and beautiful woodland..perfect setting for a declaration of love!

Fun fact: The expression “wear your heart on your sleeve” originates from a Middle Age Valentine’s day tradition. Men and women would draw the name of their Valentine from a bowl and they would wear the selected name on their sleeves for one week!

by Jade Conroy

Has anyone else been wondering why on earth there are hundreds of cows dotted around central Madrid? Ranging from an angel cow to a children’s cow, to my personal favourite the “milk on ice” cow, a whole herd of them have landed all over the city.

The Cow Parade has been described as one of the world’s largest public art events and from 16^th January to 21^st March Madrid is acting as a grazing ground for these colourful creatures. Cow Parade invites artists from all over the world to design their versions of these fibreglass farm animals, and parades have already taken place in over 50 cities including London, New York, Buenos Aires and Guadalajara.

So, why cows? According to the organisers of Cow Parade, cows are “universally beloved animals” that “simply make everyone smile” – I beg to differ.

Before the display, artists, painters and designers are encouraged to submit designs which represent an aspect of the culture of the chosen country. Vivienne Westwood and Radiohead are amongst the many names to have designed a cow. Once chosen, the models are individually sponsored by companies such as MasterCard and El Corte Inglés, and the parade commences (well, not literally as the cows are nailed to the ground). After the two month exhibit the cows are put to auction and you’d be surprised how much people are willing to pay. The highest selling cow was one covered in pieces of Waterford crystal by designer John Rocha and it was sold for a whopping $146,000. Elton John and Oprah Winfrey are said to be proud owners of their very own cows.

If you have your eye on one but aren’t prepared to pay big bucks then you always have the option to adopt a cow instead. I’ve always been more of a cat person myself…

by Helen Macrae

My friends, winter is well and truly upon us. You might ask what prompted me to arrive at this groundbreaking and outrageous conclusion. Was it the drop in temperature and resulting scrabble in the back of the wardrobe for those long-forgotten mittens and scarf? The trees in the Retiro shrugging off their leaves and stretching out their branches like bony fingers clutching at the sky? Or perhaps the giveaway was when all that snow unexpectedly fell from the heavens on Friday and turned the city into a winter wonderland? No, it’s because the other day I spotted my first child clad in top-to-toe beige.   

I arrived in Madrid last January with my good friend H, and we were immediately struck by the amount of beige we saw on a daily basis. It was everywhere: on the streets, in our classes, on the Metro, in the bars. There were beige coats, beige trousers, beige handbags, beige hats, beige shoes…there were even beige dogs. We devised a mindless but rather entertaining game where the first person to spot something beige and shout “beige!” got a point, but we stopped when we realised the Spanish word is rather similar (errr… it’s “beige” in case you didn’t know already).

As the year marched on and winter turned into spring and then summer, the beige started to disappear. Until now I had thought it was because I was becoming assimilated into Spanish culture and had stopped noticing it. But it seems I was mistaken and there is, in fact, a direct correlation between the outside temperature and the percentage of people wearing beige. Perhaps someone should do a study on it and work out a formula or something. Of course, people do wear plenty of other colours and I know I shouldn’t generalise, but if you come to the city in winter I assure you you’ll notice the pervasiveness of this colour and its variants (cream = “summer beige”, gold = “weekend beige”). For some Madrileños, it seems that beige is not just a colour, it’s a way of life.

At this point I must put my hands up and admit that I haven’t embraced the beige yet. I don’t own anything beige-coloured as I don’t think it suits me, plus I actually find the word offensive: a good example of onomatopoeia where it sounds just as dull as the actual colour. But perhaps it’s just a matter if time. Maybe after a few years of living here I’ll know I’m properly Hispanified when I can eat pipas, make a drink last all night and skip down the street in winter dressed from head to toe in beige.