Valentine was a priest for the Catholic Church in the third century who was executed for marrying young couples; the emperor Claudius II Gothicus thought that young men would be better soldiers if they were single. Claudius II Gothicus found out about these illegal marriages and ordered for Valentine’s execution. In the 15th century, February 14th was declared a day to remember Saint Valentine.
So is Valentine’s Day a holiday that we should celebrate?
If we do celebrate Valentine’s Day, we should celebrate the way it used to be celebrated, which was just a feast with their significant other. Now Valentine’s Day is more of a gift-giving holiday. One student at Woodhaven High School, Luke Zhang, said this about Valentine’s Day: “ I think it is a day where people are socially obligated to spend money”. People who participate in Valentine’s Day spend money on useless things; sure, they mean something to the other person, but most gifts are temporary. This also leads me to think that public schools are more obligated to give christian holidays days off. So if Valentine’s Day is a real holiday, then why do we not get a whole day off? According to some, since it is not a federal holiday or public holiday, there is no point in giving industrial days off. Can we really say that Valentine’s Day is a real holiday, then?
