A Brief Crash Course on Valentine’s Day

ers or an equivalent gift (such as stationery, a plushie, or chocolates), more than half of respondents answered saying they would prefer the equivalent gift. Many cited that they would appreciate a gift that could be used long-term, required less upkeep, and was more personalized to their taste. Jasmine Li (9) shared, “I like sweets, and fowers would just sit around and die.” To some, the symbolism behind fowers has also been fipped to mean the “death” of love, because the fowers that represent love ultimately die. “You don’t want your love to die like a fower,” Theresa Bruce (10) commented. So if the fowers of today have lost their intrigue, what can replace them?

Firstly, it’s important to always know the person that you’re gifting to and to center your gift around their interests. General gifts that seem to be popular among Mills students include food, plushies, a sweet card, and jewelry/accessories. But even then, some of these gifts are relatively meaning- ping for potted fowers is also more sustainable long term because the gift will be easier to care for. Paper or crocheted fowers are also a popular replacement for real blossoms. Hand-crafted crocheted fowers capture the same beauty of natural fowers while ensuring that they would last forever, making your purchase worthwhile. These fowers, especially when hand-crafted, are even more meaningful than real fowers because of the attention to detail and effort put into them. The same goes for paper fowers, whose details and delicacy mimics that of real fowers and adds a more personalized touch. But at the end of the day, it’s truly the thought that counts. It is important to put effort into the gifts we buy for others, making Valentines a special celebration of the ones we love rather than just surrendering to meaningless gimmicks. So whether you’re on a time-crunch or a budget, it’s always nice to celebrate the people around us; just make sure you are aware of the impact you’re making.

Rachel Cheng staff writer

Valentine’s Day : a widely known holiday that celebrates romance and love. Often celebrated with fowers, teddy bears, and boxes of chocolate, this holiday has been acknowledged since the late 1800s. However, many are unsure just where exactly this holiday originated, and how it has evolved into the celebration that it is to this day.

Also known as Saint Valentine’s Day, this day originated as a pastoral festival called Lupercalia, which was believed to ensure good health and fertility for the people of Ancient Rome. However, as time has passed, the holiday has evolved into a widely recognized celebration of love. Researchers are unsure about how exactly this holiday has become correlated with romantic love, but some suggest the theory that during the Roman festival of Lupercalia, the names of Roman boys and girls were drawn in order to couple them.

Now, the holiday’s infuence has taken hold over the world. Residents of countries such as the United States, Brazil, India, the Philippines, France, and many more participate in this holiday’s festivities as well. In addition, several countries in Asia such as Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea celebrate their own holiday along with Valentine’s Day: a day called White Day where women traditionally give gifts in return.

Valentine’s Day also has a wide variety of traditions across the world. For example, a comic of former United States president Theodore Roosevelt re- fusing to shoot a bear inspired a man named Morris Mitchom and his wife to create a stuffed bear to commemorate the President. These bears were mass produced and are now gifted as a show of affection on Valentine’s Day. Furthermore, the red rose has evolved into a symbol of love as a result of a Greek myth, where rose bushes grew out of the ground from the goddess Aphrodite’s tears.

However, Valentine’s Day is not only celebrated as a holiday for romantic love. In many parts of the world, people celebrate the holiday by giving gifts to and spending time with friends.

Mills High School student Erika Kita (12) remarks that, “Giving gifts to friends is also fun during Valentine’s Day instead of just to your signifcant other. Valentine’s Day can be celebrated in more ways than just romance.” In fact, many other students often express that objects such as chocolates, fowers, cards, and teddy bears or other stuffed animals are fun to give to a friend to show appreciation.

Over the course of time, the celebration of Valentine’s day has evolved signifcantly: from a smaller Roman pastoral festival to a largely infuential celebration of love and romance. However, the spread of this holiday’s impact has allowed it to be appreciated by all, and serves as a way to display affection and care.