Jamaicans want more love than just on Valentine’s Day

To some Jamaicans, Valentine's Day has become less a celebration of love and more a spotlight on low effort, revealing relationships that rely on one day of romance to mask a year of emotional neglect.

For Marcus, February 14 is not symbolic - it is personal. The date marks his birthday, the day he got married, and the day he divorced his ex-wife after discovering she had been unfaithful.

"I'm just here looking," Marcus said while browsing wrapped gifts on display. "There was once a time when I was so excited for the day, to love my lady a little extra. Just seeing everything on display just brought up memories."

Divorced for five years now, Marcus described himself as "a lover boy at heart", pushing back against stereotypes about Jamaican men and emotional expression.

"I love hard. And I know there is a lot of stigma around Jamaican men, but the good ones sometimes get it real hard," he told THE STAR.

The experience, he said, has permanently changed how he views both love and the date.

"We were married for over 10 years. If I could have given her the world, I would have. I didn't even celebrate the day as my birthday. It was all hers."

Though he insists he does not wish harm on his former partner, or anyone, the day still stirs unresolved emotion.

"Somewhere in the back of my mind, I hope she's wishing she have a Valentine," he said.

Others believe Valentine's Day still serves a meaningful purpose when love is shown consistently. Desmond, who was shopping ahead of the day which comes this Saturday, said you should show more love on Valentine's Day.

"You show love right through [the year], eno, but you see on that day, it's more special to show that you appreciate the person," he said. Desmond opined that persons who only show love on Valentine's Day "nuh have no love inna dem heart".

"Some men nuh have no love inna dem heart a talk bout Valentine's is for gay people and all kind a foolishness. Those things are rubbish. It's just a day of love."

Comparing it to religious observances, he added, "Same like how you have Christmas, you have Christ and you want to appreciate Him on that day. A just so me see it. You have to have a seasonal day for something that you will appreciate."

Still, Desmond acknowledged the emotional expectations attached to the day, particularly for women.

"If you have a lady weh you and her together and Valentine's Day you don't give her something special or make something special about it, she feel say you don't love her. Even though you show her love right through the year, that's how most ladies think," he said.

Not everyone approaches the day as a shared celebration. Henry told THE STAR that he does not observe Valentine's Day because he believes it's a gay holiday.

"Mi nuh celebrate it, eno, [but] my wife affi get a gift," Henry said. "A fi her day, a nuh our day. Valentine's Day is women's day. Woman say a love, so we just do it."

"If she give me something it deh pan the dresser and a she same one affi pull it cause me nah pull it. Cause weh she a buy a fi the house," he added.

Shopper Stacy Glen said Valentine's Day often exposes deeper relationship issues rather than fixing them.

"If you need a calendar to prove love, something is already wrong," she said. "If there is pressure to perform romance, that can build resentment." She warned against expecting sudden change.

"If your relationship had low effort all year around then women nuffi expect the sudden magic on the day," Glen said. "If him no give you nothing on normal days, don't expect it on Valentine's Day."

She added, "Being in a relationship and feeling single on the day is actually worse than actually being single."