Following the end of the Chinese New Year, a day……no, I should say a “festival” belonging to the world’s couples is approaching us, which is tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day. Mentioning the annual date of February 14, what you do think of…lovers, celebrations, or chocolates? It brought to the fore my memories at school that were buried in my mind, and I believe that it is also one of your precious memories too. However, while celebrating this day with your beloved, do you know about the origin of Valentine’s Day, which is known as the feast of Saint Valentine? The story behind it gives meaning to this special day.
In 268 AD, the Roman Emperor Claudius II banned young men from marrying. He believed that unmarried men could make better soldiers. Saint Valentine violated the emperor’s order and secretly presided over young men’s weddings, which aroused the emperor’s dissatisfaction, and so he was imprisoned. It is said that Valentine was executed on February 14, 269 AD. In order to commemorate Valentine’s brave spirit, people set February 14 every year as a memorial day, which later became “Valentine’s Day”, according to Wikipedia. Although there are many starkly different versions of the origin of Valentine’s Day, this version is the story that impressed me the most.
Going back to my student years – the time before or after February 14, when almost everyone in school will buy chocolates for each of their classmates, no matter if they were boys or girls in primary school. The “tradition” even continued through my middle school which was full of females, when we gave chocolates to the ones we had known for a long time, for example, our teachers, classmates and best friends in school. Valentine’s Day became a way of being polite instead of celebrating or commemorating it. The concept of Valentine’s Day is somehow changing. I shall stop talking about my memories here as we are a bit off topic. Our debate this week is about whether Valentine’s Day is necessary. In my point of view, the answer is no, neither for couples, nor friends.
Here is my opinion: As I have mentioned before, the concept of Valentine’s Day is changing, and has become very commercial these days. Businesses have started using Valentine’s Day to earn money. Bookings of restaurants, and selling of roses, expensive gifts or luxuries have become a necessity on February 14, and people tend to use this day to define love with money. The original meaning of Valentine’s Day has gradually disappeared. Instead, if we really want to show our love, we should not do these things only on Valentine’s Day, but on each day that we spend with our loved ones. Like, showing gratitude to our mother should never only be done on Mother’s Day; showing our teachers how much we appreciate them should not only be done on Teacher’s Day. All of these are not just a ritual, but the expression of gratitude to all those around us.
So, whether Valentine’s Day is necessary depends on you, if you want, every day can be Valentine’s Day, but it is also true that people love the sense of ceremony, and by showing your love on February 14, things become more meaningful, like the Shakespeare’s saying, “There are a thousand amlets in a thousand people’s eyes”. The most important point is – don’t let people or businesses change what Valentine’s Day means to you, love is priceless, and this day should never be extravagant.
Last but not least, happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
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