Every year, as Valentine’s Day approaches, many people begin to plan their dates and celebrations with their significant others while some plan out what Netflix shows they can marathon on the “loneliest” day of the year, which begs the question: Is Valentine’s Day a day for showing love towards others or is it a manufactured Hallmark scam?

Believe in All Kinds of Love

Contrary to popular belief, Valentine’s Day has never solely been a holiday restricted to romantic partners.  It may be known as a day devoted to couples, but its more modern interpretation celebrates all forms of love — platonic and romantic. It is still common for couples to go out and celebrate together, but others have taken the holiday as a way to say “I love you” to their friends as well, and give out gifts and candy in tradition with the holiday.

The original holiday was meant to honor the Roman St. Valentine, a priest who held marriage ceremonies in secret due to the ban on marriages for young Roman soldiers. The day to celebrate love is rightfully placed on the same day established to celebrate the priest who broke the law despite knowing the consequences of his actions. This shows a true testament for love being an aspect of humanity worth celebrating,  establishing the romantic aspect of the holiday for centuries to come.

The modern day inclusivity of the holiday makes it more enjoyable for everyone, since there isn’t as much pressure on individuals to be partnered up when the big day arrives.

It’s more common nowadays for friends to celebrate their outstanding friendship than it was several years back when it was almost an expectation to have a significant other. This liberty to enjoy being single with friends is a luxury to many who  are made to feel by society that their worth is based on whether or not they have a relationship.

In a world filled with shallowness and hatred, there is light in knowing there will always be love in the aspects of everyone’s lives. Love, felt by so many all over the world, deserves to be celebrated.

Valentines, Schmalentines

Every year in the middle of February, that fateful date rolls around bringing with it loads of pink and red hearts, cards, boxes of chocolates, giant stuffed animals, basically everything imaginable that a person in a relationship might get for their significant other. But is Valentine’s Day anything more than a consumer holiday?

The holiday is named for both St. Valentine of Rome and St. Valentine of Teri. Both were clergymen and martyrs, the 14 of February being the day that Valentine of Rome was buried. There is no legitimate connection to romance until the 14th century, which came in the form of a  poem by Chaucer. Other than that, there is no connection to the religious traditions which the day was originally celebrated for. Today, the holiday has evolved into an essentially made up celebration designed for people to spend money on useless and meaningless gifts. Celebrating love, platonic or romantic, shouldn’t require all this hullabaloo.  

Valentines is a holiday that had a legitimate origin, which has been corrupted into something so far off from the original that it should have another name at this point. It is the very definition of a consumer holiday, no matter how much you try to argue that heart shaped box of chocolates really is a true expression of your love.