As we know, Valentine’s Day is no longer a celebration of love, but a celebration of direct consumerism, and to see how much stuff you can buy another person. The romance of the holiday has worn off as time has passed, and is now just another excuse for corporations to dump the next shiny cheap item on the general population, yet charge an unreal amount of money for it. In the year of 2022, Americans spent a total of $23.9 billion on Valentine’s Day.
It is theorized that Valentine’s Day originated as a Roman festival called Lupercalia, which was known to mark the arrival of springtime. Many years later, the Catholic Church Christianized the holiday as a way to honor St. Valentine. The Lupercalia festival took place in mid-February, and one renowned ritual of the holiday was that boys would draw names of girls from a box and that couple would be “together” for the remainder of the festival.
St. Valentine was a Catholic priest who defied Emperor Claudius II by performing weddings for soldiers. Claudius II had Valentine imprisoned and beheaded on Feb. 14 for refusing to forsake his faith. His martyrdom was then honored by making Feb. 14 Valentine’s Day.
The past few decades have greatly strayed from the origin of this holiday. What was once about love, marriage and sacrifice, has now become another excuse to purchase the shiniest new item on the market. People spend tons of money on this holiday, trying to upstage even the most lavish gifts. Millions upon millions of dollars worth of flowers, chocolates and teddy bears are purchased.
We should return to the roots of this holiday by showing appreciation for loved ones in a way that doesn’t put an emphasis on the monetary value of items. A handmade card can hold just as much if not more emotional value.
