In defense of Valentines Day

Not like the other girls…

Of late it seems everyone I speak to, and especially gal-pals have a negative outlook on Valentine's day. Rejecting the holiday for the unnecessary pressures and expectations that it places on society. Its perpetuation of a hetero normative family unit. Its pink and red colour palette can be at best garish. And the most common criticism is the high level of consumerism that V-Day drives in North American society.

The history of Valentine’s day does tend to be highly contested and usually left at being considered a commercial holiday that drives unhealthy comparative behavior and massive consumption of problematic goods like diamonds and chocolate.

But just because the history is convoluted, doesn’t mean we can’t find a deeper meaning — have you heard of Lupercalia??? Easily the most likely contender for a “pagan” celebration that was “Christianized” into Valentine’s day for the sake of keeping new converts happy in Rome.

The celebration appears as early as the 6th century BC. The feasts and bacchanal were all about celebrating that bitch who, as you may know, nursed Rome. Animals were sacrificed to ensure a fertile spring and men would smack women with a leather throng made from said animal to wish them to also have a fertile spring. All in All great fun seems to be have had by all.

Later, Chaucer is charged with linking St. Valentine’s Day to the first day which birds begin to fall in love and the very Disney sentiment of being “twitterpated”. Other references in English to the holiday do get a bit closer to modern experiences with poor Ophelia’s song, capturing so well the voice of unrequited teen love. However, what is important is that Valentine’s Day in fact has a long history of being used by poets to sell their works.

But to me, the real takeaway is that February is a cold, dreary month for most of the Northern hemisphere. We are waiting on spring and dreaming green grass, baby animals, and fresh produce while huddled under the…

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