Where is the Love?

By: Kaitlyn Boisvert
Posted In: Opinion

It is that time of year again. The romantic season that people either anticipate or dread. The time where drugstores showcase Valentine’s Day attire and when commercials advertise all the sales in romantic chocolates. It is also the time all the Valentine’s Day haters fire up the media expressing their resentment for the holiday. “It’s too commercialized,” is the common complaint. Some even go as far as saying that it takes away the true meaning of love and romance. Whether or not these statements are true, people will always use these beliefs to slander the image of Valentine’s Day. It happens every year and will probably continue for a very long time. Valentine’s Day is really just an innocent holiday that represents something beautiful.

The holiday derived from Saint Valentine’s Day, which revolves around the legend of Valentine, a priest in the third century. According to the legend, Emperor Claudius II, the leader of Rome, believed that love and intimate relationships prevented soldiers from being efficient. He wanted a strong army with no emotional attachments bogging them down, and thus he banned all marriages and engagements. This met with many negative results as many men and women grew distraught over this law. The priest Valentine really sympathized with the grieving couples, and thus defied Claudius’ rules by performing matrimonies in secret. He knew of the true beauty and importance of love and promoted it through these secret practices. Eventually, Claudius learned of Valentine’s actions, and reportedly imprisoned the priest for defying the law. Records state that on Febr. 14, 270 A.D., Valentine was sentenced to death for his crime. Although his death is very tragic, Valentine was made a saint for his actions and will forever be known as the man who inspired the holiday of love.

In 496 A.D., Feb. 14 was set aside by Pope Gelasis as the day to honor St. Valentine, yet it did not truly become a holiday until the early 1800s. A woman named Esther Howland is credited for being the first person to send Valentine’s Day cards. The tradition quickly spread, and now Valentine’s Day is well-known as the holiday for people to express love towards their significant other through cards, gifts, and candy.

As a society, we are exposed to Valentine’s Day very early within our lives through advertisements, displays, and the common practice of schools having their children exchange Valentines. We usually accept it at first, but as we get older we begin to form our own opinions about Valentine’s Day, and these opinions usually fluctuate between hate and love for the holiday. Those who love it gush that it is a perfect day for showing people how much they mean to them, and one of the few days in the year where couples can prove their love for one another and cherish each other’s company. People who hate it, however, rave that Valentine’s Day is not even a true holiday but just a day used as promotional advertising for Hallmark and another companies. Many believe that it is also a day that sends the message that people need to be in relationships in order to be complete, and thus the day is often disliked by people who are single.

I personally believe that although Valentine’s Day has lost a lot of original meaning, it is still a day that promotes something very beautiful. It emphasizes the importance of not taking your loved ones for granted, to feel blessed for having them in your life, and to express your gratitude and love for them. It does not just have to be a holiday just for people in relationships either. Although I was single, I have celebrated Valentine’s Day every year before this one, and I am confident that I enjoyed it just as much as celebrating couples. You do not need a significant other to enjoy the holiday because other people that are not romantic partners also make perfect Valentines, such as coworkers, friends, family members, or even pets. It’s just the idea of sharing the special day with one you love – that is the theme of Valentine’s Day, and it is not only for romantic couples.

My only critique on Valentine’s Day is that over the years, it has lost a lot of its true meaning. It is not just a day to buy people gifts, but it is a day that emphasizes love and encourages people to go out of their way to show appreciation to people they care about, not just on the holiday itself, but throughout the rest of the year, because love is a very important part of all our lives, and it is important for our loved ones to know how grateful we are to have them.

I am ashamed to admit that I had not known the origin of Valentine’s Day before I researched it. But now that I know about the holiday’s story, I can say that I respect Valentine’s Day even more, and I cannot help but express the hope that more people will discover the history and true meaning of Valentine’s Day, because it teaches us the important lesson of love. It tells us the poignant, beautiful, and heart-breaking story of the man who died for the sake of love. What is most exquisite of all is that Valentine fought not for his own love, but for the love of other people. This selflessness and belief in love proves Valentine’s Day is a true holiday that has a beautiful and inspiring theme we could learn a lot from.