I've noticed that when the famous, or infamous, "V-day" (also celebrated as SAD; Single Awareness Day) comes to town, there is a great divide of reactions. Embrace it or despise it? What is it about this day that provokes us so? Whether positive or negative, people respond to it. I looked into the history (yes, yes...history. Shhh, bear with me, I have a point!) of this either beloved or despised holiday and was very surprised that it all began with the Romans as Lupercalia (a celebration of fertility and love), a ceremony of animal sacrifice and striking women. No, not striking in the way that "you are so pretty, I'd like to get to know you" kind of way, but striking...as in hitting..with the skins of the sacrificed animals!! EW!! Weird, right? Anyways, the holiday has spent hundreds of years evolving and mutating into what we now know as Valentine's Day.
Long story short, two men named Valentine were executed on February 14, of two different years by the Romans. The Catholic Church honored the mens' selfless actions with the creation of St. Valentine's Day. There is also the possibility that later on, the Norman holiday, Galatin's Day (Galatin meaning "lover of women") may have been mixed up in the pot. Basically, it's confusing and it would seem to me that the lack of "this is how it all started" would give me the "do as you see fit with this holiday" nod. (Okay, okay...I really do use "rabbit ears" when I talk too, and it is VERY possible I have no idea how to appropriately use them.) *wink*
So, the reality is that there is not really a clear idea of the holiday's origin. Okay, here's my point. (Thank you for riding out the history report). Considering the holiday has such speculative origins, and really doesn't have any one single meaning, why is it such a big deal for people to assign or deny value in it? Sure, timing of relationships (whether or not you are in one) is a huge factor of the temper this holiday. But, nowadays even the people who are in a blissful relationship have a problem with Valentine's Day. They describe that the DAY itself shouldn't be the time to honor your partner, but it should be everyday. It seems that for some, it's almost as if this day undermines the 364 other days of work that go into their partnership. And for those that aren't with someone, it serves as this conviction or painful reminder. Oh, Valentine's Day...you elusive drop of monkey sweat.
I've noticed in my perusing of Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, that couples have apologized for being in love and celebrating, or some find themselves rubbing it in and bragging. I've seen that single people feel compelled to curse or forfeit the holiday, or embrace and/or flaunt the freedom and benefits. Here's my bottom line. The way you regard this holiday is entirely up to you. I am curious why this day is so powerful with all it's, "I don't really mean any one single thing." How does it have so much potential to judge? Considering it is a melting pot holiday that has had generations of tweaking, maybe we should (if we already don't) make it whatever suits us and not worry about the rest. If the only consistent theme for the history of this holiday is the idea of "love", honor love however it makes you tick. Ain't no reason to judge based on a confusing history and what other people think, right? Happy Valentine's Day, peeps.
Seipel, Arnie. (February 13, 2011). The Dark Origins Of Valentine's Day; http://www.npr.org
No comments:
Post a Comment