Valentine’s Day. Some love it, yet some hate it. Now, I do not love it, nor do I hate it, but I do think that it doesn’t deserve to be a holiday. Holidays should be reserved for something important and meaningful. I have heard the argument that “love” matters, which I agree with, but shouldn’t it matter every day, surely not just one? 

The origins of Valentine’s Day dates all the way back to the Romans, and, potentially, before. A festival, Lupercalia, held every year in the middle of February, was held to celebrate health and fertility. Thus far in history, a celebration of this sort make sense. Then, Pope Gelasius I, replaced Lupercalia with St. Valentine’s Day. According to Britannica, “It came to be celebrated as a day of romance from about the 14th century.” This means that a celebration of health, fertility, and life, was essentially dumbed down to romance.  

In today’s day and age, romance is often expressed through gifts and extravagant outpourings of money. This puts an immense amount of pressure on those looking to celebrate the “holiday,” especially men. The Insider reported, “…people are expecting to spend an average of $161.96 on Valentine’s Day for their significant others, children, parents, friends, and coworkers. And if you’re a man, you’re likely to spend even more money. The survey found men are planning on spending $229.54, while women are planning to spend $97.77.” That is hundreds of dollars being spent on one day, stereotypically filled with cards, chocolate, and flowers that will be thrown away within a week maximum.  

Don’t get me wrong, I think the idea behind Valentine’s Day is fun and potentially amusing. I think if you want to waste money on it you have every right to, but I do not think it should be recognized as a holiday. It makes a lot more sense to show the people in your life that you love them every day, rather than just 0.27% of each year. Even if there were less expectations about the 14 of February every year, it would be a start. 

 I do not think it is necessary to go as far as Pakistan and completely ban the “holiday,” but I think there should be less pressure put on people to celebrate. I agree with Carrie Underwood on this one, ““I’m anti-Valentine’s day. Your man shouldn’t love you for one day out of 365. He should love you 365 days out of the year.”