Love Day, ‘a lo valenciano’: Why Valencians Celebrate Lovers’ Day On Another Day.

That’s right — Valencians celebrate Valentine’s Day on October 9th, the city’s official day. Some might enjoy the irony: the locals celebrate Love Day on Liberation Day (don’t let the rest of the world know — this is prime social-media meme material). But in reality, it’s simply a coincidence that Saint Donís is also celebrated on this date.

We are more or less familiar with Saint Valentine’s story. So what about Saint Donís? What did he do for the lovers of Valencia?

Absolutely nothing.

There is no shortage of stories and historical apocrypha surrounding this day. Some refer to King Jaume I and his wife Violant, and how they were presented with vegetables when they entered Valencia after reconquering the city. However, it is more likely that the tradition is linked to the 16th-century prohibition on lighting gunpowder. The city’s bakers came up with a wonderful solution: marzipan shaped like the forbidden firecrackers — piulets i tronadors.

As with anything new and slightly forbidden, the gesture took on symbolic meaning. Men began gifting their significant others a handkerchief filled with mini marzipans shaped like fruits and vegetables from l’Horta, along with the distinctive pastry that became known as the mocadorà (from the Valencian word for handkerchief).

You may still be wondering why this is considered Valencia’s Love Day. Well, I suppose gifting marzipan in the 16th century was the equivalent of presenting chocolates in the 20th.

Sweetness associated with love and courtship — the rest feels like a happy coincidence of history. And that’s why, every October, grocery stores and neighbourhood bakeries fill their windows with colourful marzipans.

Going back to alternative meanings, I quite like this local way of celebrating Love. No grand martyrdom, no dramatic legend of sacrifice. Just bakers being clever, a city marking its history, and generations choosing to wrap affection in sugar and almonds.

Valencia quietly reminds us that love doesn’t always need roses or imported traditions. Sometimes it arrives folded into a handkerchief, shaped like a tiny pumpkin or a firecracker, carrying the taste of local history — and plenty of sweetness to let the story linger for another year.