A Notts student’s take: We shouldn’t lose sight of what Valentine’s Day really means

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner!

For couples, it’s a beautiful day to celebrate their unending love for one another. For single people, it’s a chance to pretend to the outside world that you’re absolutely fine being alone, while secretly binging on the heart-shaped chocolates you bought yourself.

It can be a rather depressing reminder of how single you are (and how much you really miss your ex).

Even for those of us lucky enough to have found ‘the one,’ it can put a lot of strain on relationships.

Couples spend ridiculous amounts of money on fancy restaurants, flowers that die within a week, tiny little teddy bears, and all the other frivolous items that companies throw in our faces.

It makes you wonder – have we lost sight of what Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about? 

Having said that, it’s rather ironic that Valentine’s Day was never supposed to be about romance.

While its origins are much contested, the general consensus is that the day was named after Saint Valentine, a priest executed during the Roman Empire for allegedly performing a miracle in the name of Christ.

It wasn’t until the 14th century, when Geoffrey Chaucer, author and poet, wrote a poem connecting Valentine’s Day to the mating ritual of birds and the beginnings of spring, that love began to be associated with the occasion.

Most Read

Guys! A FOURTH Islander has quit Love Island All Stars and this is so messy

Two Love Islanders have finally admitted they’re a couple after years of speculation

Oh! This is the missing context to Elma and Ekin-Su’s heated dinner clash we all needed

The literary connection was continued by other poets, slowly growing the connotations with ‘lovebirds’ until it was part of popular societal culture. The norm was to give handmade cards to your loved ones, and it was only with the Industrial Revolution that cards became mass produced, and Valentine’s Day as we recognise it today was born. 

Businesses have hopped on the romantic trend in order to sell people a pre-packaged concept of love, and what could be a chance for couples to show their adoration for each other has become a consumerist nightmare. In 2024, the UK spent £2.1 billion on Valentine’s Day! Is that not crazy?

Valentine’s Day, instead of being a beautiful chance for couples to celebrate their love, has instead become a tick box exercise: Card written, flowers given, gift bought.

If everyone is doing the same thing, is it even romantic anymore? 

Now don’t get me wrong, I still think Valentine’s Day has its place, even if it’s just to thank your partner for continually putting up with you.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! It shouldn’t be expensive, performative, and stressful.

Instead, something thoughtful such as cooking a nice meal at home, little handmade gifts, or handwritten notes are all better ways to celebrate your love without turning the day into a money trap. 

The introduction of Galentine’s Day is not only a perfect excuse to have a date with the girls, but it also can help single people feel like whilst they may not have a relationship to obsessively dote on, they are not alone. 

 This all serves to show that while Valentine’s Day might be overhyped in society’s current culture, it is still valuable as a reminder to everyone to hold those they love dear.

How we celebrate occasions is always changing, so I suggest that we divorce Valentine’s Day from consumerism, and instead fill the day with small, thoughtful, and personalised acts of affection to symbolise our love for one another.