Valentine’s day, celebrated annually on February 14th, is a holiday dedicated to love and romance. But what is the history behind it? Was it always a holiday of love? Do people still think it’s a holiday dedicated to love and romance?
Valentine’s day origin is deeply rooted in tradition and history, even tracing all the way back to ancient Rome.
Jossalyn Antis, a freshman at Hughson High School, stated, “I think that it still is a holiday of love and romance but it is too focused on friends and things like galentines it should be more focused on couples.” Antis continued by saying, “I like that we have a holiday dedicated to love but it should be celebrated more traditionally like couples and valentines and romance.”
There are many theories around how valentines became a holiday. Historians believe that it is likely based on a combination of two valentines who were executed in antiquity February 14 of different years by the roman emperor Claudius ll in the third century C.E. according to history.com. The Catholic church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus who were all martyred.
One legend says that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome, and while Claudius ll decided that young single men made better soldiers because they had no wife or children to depend on them so he outlawed marriage for young men, Valentine decided that this was injustice and decided to keep performing marriages for young couples. When Claudus ll discovered what valentine was doing, he decided that he would be put to death. There is another legend that says he must have been killed for attempting to help Christian Roman prisons.
Even though the holiday has a dramatic history, people still find the focus on romance to be enjoyable.
Lilianna Wood, freshman at Hughson High school stated, “I think that it is still about love and romance but it is also about relationships and not only romantic ones, platonic too like friendships. I think it is nice to be able to give and get something even if you don’t have a valentine or a partner.” Wood continued by saying “I like that we can have a day to celebrate who we love and appreciate.”
Mariah Ruiz, freshman at Hughson high school, stated, “Although I believe valentines is about love and relationships I also think that Valentines can be a hard day for others since it can remind them that they are lonely and don’t have a relationship with anyone making them feel unloved.”
