Valentine’s Day – A day of love, or a day of profit?

Traditionally a holiday to honor St. Valentine who was believed to have been martyred on the 14th of February in 270 AD, Valentine’s Day is now one of the most commercially successful holidays in the world, making money off the naïve, sappy people of today. Every year, millions of dollars are generated as a result of Valentine’s Day, and now, a day which stemmed from the sacrifice of a great man, has become a day that is based on a money-oriented idea of love.
St. Valentine lived when Rome was under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. Claudius believed that married men would make for weak soldiers, so he placed a marriage ban on the city. St. Valentine did not agree with this and thus carried out marriage ceremonies in secret. This continued until the Emperor found out and had him arrested. Impressed with St. Valentine, the Emperor attempted to convert him to Roman god worship. Valentine refused, and angered, Claudius ordered him executed. This was carried out on February 14th which is where the date of Valentine’s Day comes from.
Now this day is celebrated by the giving of flowers, chocolates, cards and other gifts. This may sound nice, but throughout the world, this holiday is associated with love. However, there is now immense pressure for lovers to buy something for each other on Valentine’s, which just seems to create the idea that to show your love for somebody, you have to shower them with gifts. If couples want to show their love for each other, how about a hand-written note? Why is it necessary to spend up to hundreds of dollars telling somebody you love them?
So many of my male friends constantly spend the days leading up to Valentine’s in a state of perpetual worry, because they’re stressed out about what to buy their partners. This shows that they feel that they have to buy something, and the reason they feel this way is because of the pressure that society places on them nowadays. They see the cards for sale, they see the roses in the windows of florists, and they watch the hundreds of ‘Valentine’ advertisements on television, and feel they have to spend money. This is falsehood!
You don’t need to buy presents, just because the world says you have to. Cook your partner a nice dinner, and splash out on a bottle of wine instead. The gesture will be much more appreciated, and if it’s not, then your significant other is significantly shallow. Valentine ’s Day was created to commemorate a man who died for both his religion and his belief in the sanctity of marriage. Now it’s a commercialized, profit-making industry that simply serves to disprove an age-old saying – it seems you can buy love after all.

By Piakura Tiraa-Passfield

Herald Issue 463 10 June
- World famous activist assisting residents
- Budget will decide if residents prosecute Government over landfill
- Forestry project sucking Mangaia dry
- Budget 2010 – fiasco or disaster?