Valentines Day: Why Do We Celebrate?

 

 

Every year around this time, my husband and I have the same conversation. The conversation usually starts with me asking what the point of Valentines Day is, and why do we actually celebrate this day? He, being the romantic that he is, thinks I’m pretty cynical about this day. He actually likes Valentines day and buys me beautiful flowers, which I do actually love and appreciate. Today, I decided to do a little research about the controversial day of February 14 to find out exactly how it started.

According to similar articles on History.com and NPR, it seems that the reason we celebrate is possibly based on legend of Catholic St. Valentine secretly marrying couples after Emperor Claudius II had forbidden soldiers to marry. It was his belief that love and marriage made the men weak. Another theory, is  that the Christian church decided to place Valentines Day in the middle of the month to “tone down” the Pagen celebration of the Lupercalia festival. Eventually, it seems the days became intertwined. Shakespeare (imagine that) ended up writing a love letter to his “Valentine” which possibly caught  on, establishing cards and love letters. It’s all very interesting really but does it denote an actual day or chocolates, over priced flowers and heart shaped stuffed animals?  I suppose my gripe has to do with the commercialism and the expectations of one day. Shouldn’t we be showing love and appreciation everyday? Do we really need another commercialized holiday to show someone that we care?

So, after my research, I’m not sure if I’m any less cynical about Valentines day.  Am I solo in this? What do you think? Should Valentines day be a big deal? Do you love it or hate it?

If you’re curious about Valentines day, check out the history of how  Valentine’s day came to be.

Happy Valentine’s Day from cynical me.