By Danika Young | LTVN Reporter/Anchor
Valentine’s Day is rolling around, and we all know what that means: Either you have a date, you need to find a date or you suck it up and be your own valentine.
When I was a kid, Valentine’s Day was fun. We used to give out candy to our friends or write nice notes and pass them out in class. But as I got older, I grew to loathe the famous “love day.”
I’ve done Valentine’s Day both ways. I’ve spent some version of the holiday being in a serious relationship with grand gestures and romantic gifts. I’ve also experienced Valentine’s Day being single, going out with girlfriends and completely ignoring it as a holiday.
Not many people know how Valentine’s Day came to be. In fact, it doesn’t have a significant amount to do with love at all. Valentine’s Day originated when Emperor Claudius II executed two men on Feb. 14 of different years in the third century. Both of these men possessed the name Valentine. They were honored by the Roman Catholic Church on Feb. 14 with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. It has definitely changed since then to become what we know it as today — the day when people celebrate love and remind those in their life of their affection.
First off, if you happen to be single in February, Valentine’s Day really sucks. I think most everyone would agree that being unloved on the day of love is a punch in the stomach. In addition to this, you get front row seats to observe other people’s love that’s put on display. Even if you aren’t a bitter single on this exact day, people just assume you are.
Days after a breakup I had in high school, I remember Valentine’s Day being one of the worst days that year. Why? Because everyone pitied the dumped girl on Valentine’s Day, when realistically I just wanted to be left alone.
Some singles scramble to find a date for this romantic holiday. Maybe you decide you don’t want to be alone on Valentine’s Day, but that means you have to find someone just as desperate. Valentine’s Day revolves around unnecessary pressure for both the loved and the unloved.
Just because you are in a relationship doesn’t mean you will automatically enjoy Valentine’s Day either. Again, there is extreme pressure for both sides. You are supposed to show the person you love that you love them with gifts and actions. You feel obligated to do dramatic gestures just to show a person you care for them because if you don’t, then well … it must not be love.
I remember I had been dating someone for two months, and he did the whole dramatic gesture thing and ended the night with the three words you should not be saying two months in. Would he have said this on any other day? Probably not.
Valentine’s Day has created an odd concept that it’s the one day you show your significant other you love them. Why can’t you just do that every day without the dramatic gestures? Some people like this concept; I just don’t.
