What is Valentine’s Day? Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14th across the United States and other places around the world. The holiday originated in Rome, from the Catholic Church. According to www.history.com, the story starts with Saint Valentine. The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus. 

One of the Valentines was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. The Emperor during that time decided that all single men were superior soldiers to those with families and wives. Emperor Claudius II prohibited marriage for young men, however, Valentine found it an injustice and defied the emperor by continuing to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. Valentine’s actions were discovered and he was ordered to be put to death. Others insist that it was Saint Valentine of Terni, who was a bishop, that is the true namesake of the holiday. He too was beheaded by Claudius II outside of Rome. 

Other people believed that the third Valentine may have been put to death for attempting to help other Christians escape the harsh Roman prisons, where they were all often beaten and tortured. But according to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine had sent the first-ever “valentine” greeting after he fell in love with a young girl. This young girl was possibly his jailor’s daughter. She went to visit him during his confinement. Before he died, he had allegedly written a letter to her signed “From your Valentine,” which is an expression that we still use today. Even if we are unsure about all the stories of Valentine being true or not, the importance of them does not change Saint Valentine’s depiction as a sympathetic, heroic, and romantic figure. 

Although typically associated with love, some people feel very indifferent about this hallmark holiday. At Point Pleasant Boro High School,110 students took a survey asking whether or not they enjoy Valentine’s Day and why? 43.2% of the students said yes, 31.5% said maybe, and the remaining 25.2% said no. 

One anonymous student explained, “I don’t think our age group is allowed to enjoy Valentine’s Day, especially with how “love” is interpreted these days. To me, it’s more of an old people’s holiday, where the parents leave the kids with a babysitter so they can go out to a fancy restaurant to refresh their relationship/ marriage.” 

Another student said “for someone who doesn’t feel romantic attraction, it’s a holiday to make every single person feel like crap. It’s one of the stupidest holidays, basically, the government capitalized romance and was like, ‘Yo. We can make money from this.’” 

On the survey, one student described that they believe “Valentine’s day is too commercialized but I love love, and I like the celebration of love in all forms and types.” 

Valentine’s day doesn’t have to be celebrated with a significant other, but with family and friends, as well. A student described that Valentine’s Day allows for “family members to get closer and care for each other a little extra.”

 We also spoke with two students and one teacher who have different relationship statuses about their opinion on Valentine’s day. 

Frank Murphy, who is currently single, said that he has never understood the sadness some single people express during Valentine’s Day, but he does enjoy the candy and being able to spend it with friends. He states that the holiday “never bothered me.” 

Another student, Thea Merritt, who is in a relationship, said, “it’s nice to spend time with your person or even friends. Valentine’s day is nice to recognize your love for everyone and do something fun.” 

Mrs. Jensen, who has been married for about 4 years, does not make a big deal of the holiday or spend too much money on gifts. She believes that “Valentine’s day is more like a day that you specifically make time to set aside and actually spend some quality time with your significant other.”

Although Valentine’s Day is celebrated by many around the world, there are many differentiating opinions on the holiday. In our opinion, the holiday is a day full of love with friends, family, and significant others. As perfectly captured by Charles M. Schulz, “all you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”