According to YouGov, Valentine’s Day is the most unpopular holiday of the year. Valentine’s Day has been around since the end of the fifth century. Now, the day is centered around the idea of showing your love for those you care about. Candy, flowers and presents are exchanged in the matrimony of love, which sounds great to some, but is widely hated on. 

The holiday initially began as a pagan celebration called Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to the Roman founders Romulus, Remus and the Roman god of architecture, Faunus. The festival included sacrificial rituals and a pairing of a woman and a bachelor who, in most cases, ended up married. However, at the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius outlawed the celebration and announced February 14 as St. Valentine’s Day. Since then, the holiday has evolved into the Valentine’s we celebrate today with cupids and candies. 

The question that arises is: why is this holiday so hated? Many people object to the holiday due to the overconsumption that comes with it. According to Forbes, “Retailers will reap $20 billion in sales by the time the holiday is over.” This is a cause for concern because the holiday is getting farther from its roots of honoring love and morphing into a buyout. Superficial love is really enhanced in the media and often causes couples to compare their love to others based on material wealth. 

“I think I’m pretty indifferent on the holiday because it’s fun for couples to celebrate their love for each other, but for single people, you can also celebrate with your friends,” FHS senior Jamie Wong said. “I think it is one of my least favorite because it has no use to me.”

It is fairly imaginable that many singles feel excluded or left out on a holiday based on relationships. However, the holiday is not exclusive to romantic relationships. Friendships and familial relationships should be more focused on throughout the holiday. The spirit of the holiday is love, so celebrating love in all types of relationships makes the day more meaningful for everybody.  

“I would say I’m a fan of Valentine’s Day; It’s a nice day to do something nice for other people, but it’s not too special a holiday compared to others,” FHS junior Fedor Pronin said. 

While Valentine’s Day may not be universally beloved, its overwhelming red and pink decorations, cupids and candies will live on.