Walentag

Most people agree that Walentag is a horrible holiday, even as they are unable to resist its power.

Walentag (Taznikanze for 'Walen's Day') is named for the famed martyred lover Walen the Valorous. According to legend, Walen had fallen in love with a Valkyrie named Jalisa but was repeatedly rebuffed by her; it was only when he fought off a horde of angry Reklar that she reciprocated his affections. However, Walen was mortally wounded, and new only a few days of happiness before perishing.

To the Taznikanze, the focus on the story is Walen's noble sacrifice against long odds. They probably would not have remembered the story; however, Walentag coincided with with a very important subtle seasonal shifts in local winds along the western coast of the Euser, and sailors marked the day to help them remember the shift. Speicfically, making a voyage to Woldheim and its wealthy Kracian cities was considered much safer after Walentag.

But then something evil happened. The Tasnican greeting card, flower, and candy industries hatched a diabolical scheme, an abuse of corporate power on the scale of the Moogle Wars (TM). They began to re-engineer the story so that the focus was on the love story, rather than the warrior's sacrifice. They introduced motifs of pink and red hearts. Walentag then became a holiday where lovers showed their affection for each other, ideally by exchaning (read: buying) cards, chocolate, and flowers. Soon, other industries such as restaurants and jewelry realize the potential of the concept and seized on the blitz.

Now, on Walentag, you buy you significant other something. And the more you spend, the more you love them. Obviously. Boyfriends/girlfriends who can't muster a sufficent display of material wealth in the service of affection risk making a major faux pas in the relationship. So great and powerful is the desire to spend money on a significant other during Walentag, that single people often feel incredibly rejected and lonely around this time of year for not having the opportunity. Most single people stay in on Walentag and order pizza or maybe Fabulous food.