Spring Break
Take the commercial aspect out of V-Day
Alex Sanders
Issue date: 2/13/09 Section: Commentary
Whether you are soulfully smitten or single this Valentine's Day, don't buy into the hype. Many girls won't deny that they swoon over roses and are flattered by heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, but that doesn't mean that gifts like that should make a girl's knees buckle just once a year.
Valentine's Day initially had nothing to do with flowers, gifts or sweets. It had to do with St. Valentine, a Roman who refused to give up Christianity. He died on Feb. 14, 269 A.D., so Pope Gelasius set aside the day to honor him.
In Rome, Feb. 14 was a day that coincided with the holiday to honor Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. She was also known as the goddess of women and marriage. In light of the holiday, there was a feast of Lupercalia at which young boys and girls would draw names of the opposite sex out of a jar. The name drawn would be that person's partner for the remainder of the festival. The pairing could last and the two could form a bond, or the pairing could fall apart shortly after the festival ends. This is the closest the Romans came to romance on St. Valentine's Day.
These days, the day is incredibly commercialized and basically pushes couples into having a mini-honeymoon one day a year. Giving valentines to others is a nice sentiment, but after third grade, the holiday intensifies. The closer Valentine's Day is, the more marketers run ads for lingerie, jewelry, flowers, chocolate, etc. The holiday really shouldn't be about that. It is fine to show someone you care with those things, but then show them the other 364 days of the year, too.
Disclaimer: this is not meant to dissuade boyfriends from showering their girlfriends with gifts on that special day - she would not appreciate watching a bunch of other girls collect their bouquets while you explain to her how cliché the holiday is. This is just to say that if you really want to blow her away and show her that you are thinking of her, despite the diamond commercials being thrown in your face or the signs outside flower stores offering discounts, then make her a candlelit dinner on Sept. 17, or any other random day of the year.
Valentine's Day initially had nothing to do with flowers, gifts or sweets. It had to do with St. Valentine, a Roman who refused to give up Christianity. He died on Feb. 14, 269 A.D., so Pope Gelasius set aside the day to honor him.
In Rome, Feb. 14 was a day that coincided with the holiday to honor Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. She was also known as the goddess of women and marriage. In light of the holiday, there was a feast of Lupercalia at which young boys and girls would draw names of the opposite sex out of a jar. The name drawn would be that person's partner for the remainder of the festival. The pairing could last and the two could form a bond, or the pairing could fall apart shortly after the festival ends. This is the closest the Romans came to romance on St. Valentine's Day.
These days, the day is incredibly commercialized and basically pushes couples into having a mini-honeymoon one day a year. Giving valentines to others is a nice sentiment, but after third grade, the holiday intensifies. The closer Valentine's Day is, the more marketers run ads for lingerie, jewelry, flowers, chocolate, etc. The holiday really shouldn't be about that. It is fine to show someone you care with those things, but then show them the other 364 days of the year, too.
Disclaimer: this is not meant to dissuade boyfriends from showering their girlfriends with gifts on that special day - she would not appreciate watching a bunch of other girls collect their bouquets while you explain to her how cliché the holiday is. This is just to say that if you really want to blow her away and show her that you are thinking of her, despite the diamond commercials being thrown in your face or the signs outside flower stores offering discounts, then make her a candlelit dinner on Sept. 17, or any other random day of the year.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Politically Correct
posted 2/13/09 @ 12:01 PM EST
Might want to be a little more politically correct...this is the 21st century. Heterosexual couples aren't the only ones with Valentines.
Post a Comment