Valentine's Day is once again upon us and everyone seems to be going gaga about this special day that has nothing to do with love or romance.
The origin of Valentine's Day is obscure. Historians can't pinpoint the exact origin of the holiday but they all agree it had nothing to do with romance as it is celebrated in the current era.
Some basic facts about Valentine’s Day indicate that it originated as a Christian feast day honouring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
Having stated the basic facts about Valentine's Day, below are five arguments why couples don't need to celebrate the festival.
No need to flaunt relationships
Many people see Valentine’s Day as a way of flaunting their relationship status - somewhat a demonstration of their love for their partners.
You don't need to wait for one day in a year to tell your partner how much you love them, or to treat them to a fancy date at Java or Chicken Inn and all the other things people do on Valentine's Day.
Some relationships even crumble because some partners feel offended when they are not 'spoiled' on Valentine's Day.
Going all out to spoil your partner on Valentine's Day is not love, doing it every day and every moment is true love.
Unfair pressure
Valentine’s Day put couples under a lot of unnecessary pressure - buying gifts, making dinner plans, you name it.
You can choose to just spare yourself the pressure and skip this holiday altogether.
Romantic love not only love
You need to understand that romantic love is not the only important love in your life. The most important love is love for God, then self-love. Romantic love, love for parents and love for your kids can compete for position three, four and five in your life.
Do you go all out to show God how much you love Him? Do you go all out to treat yourself with the same magnitude you are investing in Valentine's Day? If your answer is no, skip this year's Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day doesn't define relationships
When you’re in a strong relationship, no holiday will ever define your love for each other.
There are way more important things in a relationship than Valentine's Day. Imagine you are in an abusive relationship then the toxic partner only becomes Romeo or Juliet on Valentines's Day then when the 'love holiday' is over it's back to normal.
To truly make a relationship work, you can’t just do nice things on a holiday. Strong couples know that a true connection takes work every single day.
Boycott unnecessary societal norms
You will hear people telling you that you are stingy because you are not going to bow to societal pressure to celebrate Valentine's Day. Don't worry as this is just a reverse psychology to guilt trap you.
Rebelling against something as superficial as Valentine's Day is also romantic in its own way. Let your partner know you don't value a holiday for which historians can't even pinpoint its origin.
Happy Valentine's Day to the lovebirds who care about the holiday, and for those who don't care, let's meet at our local joints and do what we do best.
