V-day or d-day: now you decide

    You can call Valentine’s Day whatever you want.  It might be that magical day of the year where couples come together more than normal and celebrate their feelings for one another.  It might be a Hallmark holiday, designed to encourage spending during the economic slowdowns following the winter spending season.  It might have been instated for the sole purpose of making single people feel lonely and dejected.
    Choose whatever description you’re the most comfortable with.
    Opinions vastly differ about Valentine’s Day. 
    What cannot be denied, however, is that Valentine’s Day is a high-pressure event for people both in and out of relationships.  The people who have a date often feel compelled to buy romantic gifts for their partner, and the single individuals have to deal with the bombardment of Valentine’s Day advertisements that exist around every turn.
    Curiously, St. Valentine’s Day is no longer recognized as an official holiday, and has not been for over 500 years.  So what’s all the hubbub about?
       
Some history about St. Valentine and his day

    Little concrete information about St. Valentine has survived the wrath of time.  What is known is that there were two St. Valentines, and were both martyred in the time of ancient Rome.  They were honored by the Roman Catholic Church with feasts that occurred every year on (surprise) February 14.
    It also became a day to celebrate fertility in Athens (Greece, not Georgia) called Lupercalia.  The writer Plutarch described these festivals, mentioning how “many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with    shaggy thongs.”
    That’s probably never mentioned on the greeting cards.
    It wasn’t until the middle ages that Valentine’s Day took on a theme of courtship.  It became commonplace for people to have their Valentine’s to dote on their date, and laid the foundation for what became the American tradition, though the Roman legacy might have contributed as well.
    Valentine’s Day also exists in other manifestations throughout the world, and many occur during mid-February.  Some deal with gifts, and some do not.  The common theme throughout them all is the one strong emotion that rules all human beings.
    No, not the sex drive.  Love.  Or like.  Or friendship, if you prefer.

Roses are red

    One of the best ways to demonstrate your affection for somebody is to look them in the eyes and tell them how you feel (for you long-distance relationships, I’m sure a nice phone call or letter will suffice as well). 
    But for the material individual, or for somebody who likes for their assurances to come in tangible forms, a nice gift will serve the purpose.  Besides, nobody likes to look cheap.
    The Colonnade conducted a survey of 50 randomly chosen students to see what they thought of the more common Valentine’s Day gifts.
    The results were surprisingly universal for some gifts, and incredibly varied for others. 
    Flowers were regarded as romantic by most of the GCSU population, with some individuals considering them to be “sweet.” 
    Most everybody regarded lingerie as “sexy,” though a couple of the individuals surveyed said they wouldn’t give this gift at all.
    On the whole, homemade gifts like a mixed CD were considered sweet, while home-cooked meals were romantic or even sexy.  Massages done by your partner were usually also considered to be sweet and/or sexy.
     There was one gift on the survey that everyone decided to steer away from:  Tattoos with his/her name on it.  I guess that’s taking commitment to a Valentine too far.
    That and the fact that the surgery to remove a tattoo is expensive.

The wallets are blue

    The data from the survey suggests that homemade gifts are sweet, but aren’t particularly romantic or sexy.  Now, depending on what effect you want your gift to have, this suggests that a trip to the store might be in order.
     An article on retailindustry.about.com states that the average American male will spend $120 on gifts for their loved ones, while the average American female will cap at $50 for their loved ones.
    Individuals ages 18-24 are expected to spend the most money, with an expected average of $180 per person.
     That much money doesn’t always go a long way.  A dozen roses from the Kroger on N. Columbia Street sell for $30 and up.  A special Hershey’s Chocolate gift ordered from their Web site can cost as much $30.  A visit for two to the Serenity Wellness Spa in Milledgeville will set you back a cool $285.
   
The flowers and the trees
   
    Competing with Valentine’s Day on February 14 is National Condom Day.  According to the National Social Health Association, about half of the new cases of STD’s are reported by individuals aged 18 to 24.
    As an interesting aside, the birthrate is highest during the months of October and November, according to the 2000 census.
    But all these facts are probably entirely unrelated to Valentine’s Day.
   
A rose by any other name

    Single is a bad word to use to describe dateless people on V-Day.  The Colonnade’s survey asked what people would/will do on Valentine’s Day if they were/are single, and nearly nobody said they would sit around and feel sorry for themselves.
    Julie Stone, a junior psychology major will be single this Valentine’s Day, but she certainly won’t be alone.   
    “I’ll probably just go hang out with some of my single friends, and we’ll all talk about how stupid this holiday is,” Stone said.
    Willie Taylor knew exactly what he’d do in the event that he was single.
    “I’d go to the bar and get drunk on whisky and (soda),” Taylor said.  “Because if I can’t be with someone, I’d rather get trashed with my friends and watch Sportscenter on the big screen.”
    Amanda Foley isn’t bothered by Valentine’s Day one way or the other.
    “I don’t like to let overrated holidays get me down,” Foley said.
    On a final note, the survey concluded that of 50 people, 25 will not be single on Valentine’s Day, 19 will be single, 3 are unsure, and 3 didn’t read the whole page and skipped it altogether.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 16 2007. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry