Valentine’s Day Is All About Loss Of Breath

Written by Pio Sioa
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Some 30 or 40 years ago, Valentine’s Day, was nothing more than a passing interest for the romantics in Samoa. The fluttering baby angel with the bow and arrow was looked upon by most as an anointed guardian of the Pearly Gates and not a symbol of romantic love. Why this angel goes around shooting arrows into unsuspecting hearts was a curiosity for many at the time. Beyond the more yonder years, Valentine’s Day was as alien to Samoans as taro was to the sky breakers, alias ‘palagis’. Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a foreign concept. It is referred to as a special tradition started in North America and Europe where lovers expressed their love for each other by sending cards, flowers or sweets. Well, if it is about the rituals of courtship, then the concept is not exactly a new one for Samoa or for any other country for that matter. Maybe our yonder generation did not have cards or sweets to give away, but they had their own ways of showing how they are romantically inclined. We do have flowers of course but in the olden days, the romantics used the attraction of flowers in a different way. They wore it around their left ear – both men and women. It was their way of showing that they are free and available to be courted. The tradition holds true to this day. When the flower is worn on the right ear it means that the person is already taken. Stay away. Then there is that celebrated story about the holes in a certain village’s shared bamboo pillow. The story was actually an account given by the Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, in the days when he was a politician. The story goes back to the time when Samoa was beset with wars based around traditional leadership involving the paramount chiefs. With all the men from the villages out fighting and killing each other, it became common practice for those left behind to live and sleep together in one big house. The times were uncertain and there was comfort and security in everyone staying together as a group In this particular village, someone came up with the idea of using a long bamboo pole for everyone to use as a pillow to rest their heads on when they bed down for the night. The pole was hollowed out and laid along the length of the house, with the men and women sleeping on their selected sides. The romantics were quick to hit on the idea of secretly drilling a hole on the bamboo pillow where the person he/she has taken a fancy to, sleeps When it is time to bed down for the night, the romantic would whisper endearments from a hole on his/her side of the pole, into the secret hole he had drilled on the other side. Romance would soon bloom and the warring and fighting are soon forgotten, as the lovers occupy their idle time with the effort of re-populating the village. Those are the bygone days. The rituals of courtship however should stand to prove that Valentine’s Day is not a foreign concept to the romantics of Samoa. Maybe the naming is different but humans are humans and we in Samoa probably had our own fluttering angels with bows and arrows, shooting love and romance into unsuspecting hearts. Valentine’s Day, in the modern day concept introduced by the palagis, has grown in popularity over recent years in Samoa, thanks largely to the collaborative influence of the media and the business community. There are a few who are not fully clear yet of the concept, like one of the callers in a radio talk back show this week who said he was sending his Valentine wishes to God. But there are others like one caller who promised to fix dinner and buy a bottle of wine for his wife. He also promised to do a dance number to entertain his ‘Valentine’ – part of the wine and dine rituals the special occassion inspires. Another caller had made arrangements to send his wife and children to the States for a Valentine’s holiday, while he stays behind to look after their home. Yeah right! After listening to the talk show for a while, it became quite obvious how most of the women callers were more interested in reading out poems dedicated to their husbands. One would have thought that Valentine was supposed to be a tradition where the men were supposed to take the lead. In the case of the women poets, the underlying theme and ending twists, held veiled warnings for the men to stay faithful to their vows or else. All of course was said in jest and good fun. People in love or falling in love do that all the time. Perhaps the best analogy for Valentine’s Day was the one Olga Keil of Radio Station Magic FM gave one of her male callers. She asked the caller if he had ever lost his breath in a rugby tackle- the caller said yes. ‘That’s what Valentine’s Day is all about,” she shot back. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment
Last Updated ( Saturday, 16 February 2008 )

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