The Paw Print

By Aanya Mathew and Raina Suri

St. Valentine’s day is the most romantic day of the year. Everyone wakes up with either the hope or the dread of feeling love in the air. Valentine’s Day has evolved over time. The day has changed its meanings and customs from its origins in ancient Rome, to the symbols of hearts and candies, Valentine’s Day stands as a one of a kind holiday that everyone can celebrate. 

St. Valentine’s day can be traced back to ancient Rome, where they celebrated a similar festival called “Lupercalia.” This festival was celebrated on Feb.15 and commemorated fertility with sacrifices of goats and a dog. Eventually, this festival was forbidden in 494 CE by the Roman Catholic Church under the order of Pope Gelasius I. He replaced it with St. Valentine’s Day, though the actual holiday started much later, bringing flowers, candy, and love into the mix.

Formal letters, or valentines, appeared around the 1500s and really took off in the 1700s. Another one of the biggest symbols of Valentine’s Day is the lovable chubby baby that is often seen during the month leading up to Valentine’s Day. This is a representation of Cupid, the Roman god of love. Over time, the holiday has snowballed into a day of magic and consumerism as companies have taken advantage of lovebirds hoping to get something for their special someone.

Big companies like Target and Amazon host large sales during the month and promote candy, clothes and cards in their stores and online. The large bags of candy given out in schools and to loved ones and the rush of red and pink clothes advertised and sold before Valentine’s Day is one of the reasons why people’s views on the holiday have started to change for the worse. Considering the waste and exaggeration of the holiday, it can start to seem like more of a negative than a positive. 

Some statements from teens today about Valentine’s Day reveal that negative feelings toward the holiday are primarily about romance. From the people interviewed, most talked about how focusing on the romance aspect of love isn’t ideal, and that Valentine’s Day should be about friends and family too:

“My opinion is that despite never celebrating it romantically, I think Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to express your love to everyone who’s dear to you no matter if it’s romantic or not.” – Anonymous Senior

“Valentine’s Day is not celebrated quite how it should be. I think it should be a bit of a bigger thing, maybe just because I like the idea of everything being decorated with pink hearts and heart balloons. I think people should make chocolate on Valentine’s Day together with their friends and loved ones and it should be more of a thing.” – Anonymous college freshman

In elementary schools, it’s quite popular for classes to host Valentine’s Day parties with candy given out. Teens today have started to reclaim the holiday as time spent with their friends. Lots of people have platonic valentines and celebrate by giving treats and cards out to their loved ones. A popular result of this shift in attitude is the valentine’s tradition called “Galentine’s Day”. 

The emergence of Galentine’s Day as an alternative to the romance-based holiday happened, surprisingly, because of the popular sitcom “Parks and Recreation.” In season 2, episode 16 of the show, Leslie Knope, played by Amy Pohler, throws a Galentine’s Day party. Since this episode’s airing in 2010, Galentine’s Day has expanded to be recognized globally, with female friend groups around the world celebrating.

So, what is Galentine’s Day? Generally speaking, the holiday serves as an opportunity to stray from the Hallmark-ness and commercialization of Valentine’s Day and instead let loose with friends. Despite the purposeful distancing from Valentine’s Day, you can celebrate Galentine’s Day regardless of if you’re single or taken! All you have to do is make an effort to prioritize your female friendships, and you’re set! As Knope says, it’s all about “ladies celebrating ladies.”

Galentine’s Day, which takes place a day before Valentine’s Day, on Feb. 13, can be celebrated in a variety of different ways, such as throwing a party or grabbing lunch with your friends.

Both Valentine’s and Galentine’s Day are culturally significant holidays that have changed a lot over time, especially the former, which started as a sacrificial festival and grew into a symbol of love and affection. As these holidays approach and however you choose to celebrate, prioritize spreading positivity and love this February.