February 14th. So many people dread this day. Single people are reminded of their status, and members of couples face the stress of a perfect date night.
Valentine’s Day has dark origins but was originally celebrated by the ancient Romans to honor St. Valentine’s death. Somehow along the way it became associated with love and romance.
What are single people to do on Valentine’s Day? Popular traditions occur between friends including “Galentine’s Day” for many females and similar get-togethers for males. Other people like to go out by themselves to be around other people of the same relationship status. All others are left to stay home and pretend that it is any other day.
For couples, it is a societal requirement to celebrate love together on this day. This includes many gifts, expensive dinners and lots of pressure. According to localpulse.com, Americans spent around $26 billion on Valentine’s Day gifts for their significant other. How much should I spend? What if I got too much? What if I did not get enough? This is way too much pressure for a day that is supposed to complement love.
The only people who enjoy this holiday are the couples that over plan the perfect night. For the rest of the world, it comes with stress, loneliness and not even a day off work. What’s the point of this ridiculous holiday?
