Valentine’s Day: A holiday for all

By Timothy Awojobi.

Valentine’s Day is known to be a “lovers’” day, however, the origin of the holiday goes back many centuries. The word “Valentine” comes from the Catholic Church, who first recognized Saint Valentinus, better known to us as Saint Valentine. Saint Valentine was killed for trying to help the Christians escape Roman prisons. Some people believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of his death.

According to David Kithcart of The 700 Club magazine, “Valentine’s Day is known to be celebrated in many other countries besides The United States. Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia all have their own versions of celebrations for Valentine’s Day.”

Currently in the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in schools, churches, community organizations, and even on television. “I remember the time when my friends and I would send love letters and lollipops to our so called ‘crush’,” said Stephanie Barreros, a sophomore biology major.

Many years ago, Valentine’s Day was only known to be special for couples and people who were celebrating their love for each other. Now over time, the Valentine’s Day culture has evolved to a more “ego-centric,” meaning of love. Many people feel as if the most important aspect of Valentine’s Day is not only about expressing your love for another person, but rather loving yourself.

Valentine’s Day brings about a huge variety of emotions amongst different people. For some, it’s a joyous day filled with love, happiness, and laugher. On the other hand, for someone who is going through a breakup or is in a stressful, long-distance relationship, the day might not seem as blissful. In talking to people, it is easy to find a mix of opinions concerning what the holiday actually means.

“Valentine’s Day is important for the people who don’t take care of their personal relationships or lover,” said Justin Grubert, a history major at Kean University. “I personally would prefer having a random day to have a ‘Valentine’s Day,’ instead of waiting until February 14th each year to celebrate this special occasion.”

“Valentine’s Day is very overrated because it shouldn’t be one day you express your love to someone,” said Ayana Forbes, a junior Communications major. “That should be an everyday thing.”

Each year during Valentine’s Day, it is well known around the country for travel and gift expenses to “skyrocket” due to the holiday. Many hotel rates will rise. Restaurants and catering services will also increase their daily food rates.

According to Eve Glaser, a worker at Hollywood Florist in Union, New Jersey, the prices of roses and flowers cost more on Valentine’s Day due to supply and demand. The roses are usually imported from other foreign countries into the United States.  The cost of air freight, as well as ground delivery, makes the cost of roses increase greatly on special occasions. “Some great tips that people should do to save money are to ‘pre-order’ the dozen roses at least a month in advance, or in January,” Glaser said. “Valentine’s Day should be a special time to celebrate with your loved one. It’s always good to plan holidays and special occasions according to your ‘personal budget’.”

At Kean University, members of the Pan-African Student Union (PASU) will be organizing a special event for Valentine’s Day called, Black Love Affair. This event will take place on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. in Downs Hall. The event is 5 dollars for all Kean students. “This organization puts together a great event each year for students to enjoy a special occasion with their loved ones,” said Courtney McTeer, a junior accounting major. “I’ve always believed in true love and happiness, and I feel that people should enjoy that special moment with their significant other on this day.”

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