Valentine’s Day is a chocolate, rose-covered, commercialized holiday
Happy anti-Valentine’s Day
Photo: Flickr user (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
For as long as we can remember Feb. 14 has been touted as the most romantic day of the year. The hype that surrounds Valentine’s Day, and the expectations that many have, has made V-Day extremely overrated.
V-Day is historically known as the ancient Roman Festival Lupercalia, which was celebrated on Feb. 15 during the 5th century. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, after a ritual sacrifice of a dog and goat, men or Luperci would take the skin of the sacrificed animals and chase women around, whipping their buttocks with the raw hides. It was believed that a strike from the hides would make a woman more fertile.
Centuries later it is believed, according to the History channel’s website, that Christians deemed Lupercalia as “un-chrisitan” and Pope Gelasius declared it Valentine’s Day, which celebrated Saint Valentine or the Feast of Saint Valentine and changed the day to Feb. 14.
Not until much later did V-Day become associated with love, but has now become something other than just about love and acknowledging loved ones—it has turned into a chocolate, rose-covered, commercialized holiday.
While some think of Valentine’s Day as a time when couples make an extra effort to spend quality time together, there’s the expectation, in heterosexual relationships, that the man will go above and beyond with flowers, dinner and even jewelry for the woman.
According to Doctor Pauline Wallin in her article Valentine’s Day is Overrated, on About.com, she believes today’s message is, “your love is measured by what you buy.”
The commercialized depiction of Valentine’s Day has become this way through TV and magazine ads, showing models with perfect bodies eating chocolate, or commercials where a man gives the woman a gorgeous ring or diamond earrings; a typical V-Day commercial portrays a heterosexual couple while they are many other types of relationships.
Many celebrate Valentine’s Day and will continue to, but there are others who get upset on this day if they don’t have a significant other to share it with.
Relationships are hard enough without the strain of a commercialized holiday weighing down on them, and some couples even break up on this day—it’s not a happy day for everyone.
