EDITORIAL: Have we forgotten the true meaning of Valentine's Day?
With Valentine's Day looming ahead, you'd wonder if we really remember why the day is named after a saint
Have we forgotten the true meaning of Valentine’s Day?
When I think of February 14, images of pink love hearts, teddy bears embroidered with I love you signs, chocolates and roses spring to mind. I always think of it as a commercialist day that some bright Americans working in marketing might have invented but I realise in today’s world we have forgotten the origins of this holiday completely.
Saint Valentine is who we have to thank for those cringy plastic roses, in some sense anyway.
He was a third Century roman saint who lived a not so rosy life as a martyr, according to historical reports. He was also the patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy, in case any of our readers didn’t know this strange fact.
Where he begins to be associated with romance is when he secretly marries soldiers in Christian ceremonies, this gave him a romantic reputation which we still associate with the saint today.
I wonder if I’m the only one that has forgotten the history of this holiday and has instead tried to ignore the consumerist day it has become. Deep down I know it is meant to be about love, but I can’t shake the feeling that it is really about buying more things, now more than ever.
According to data online, Valentine’s Day is the second biggest consumerist holiday when compared to other important holidays during the year.
When did it become more about buying things for your loved one than celebrating a Christian feast day of an old Saint?
I don’t want to seem like a valentine’s grinch, I just want to understand how the holiday has changed so much since its origin.
I will not look at those plastic heart shaped items in shops with more scepticism after learning about Saint Valentine.
However, I’ll try to also keep in mind the true meaning of the holiday this Friday.