Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s day—a holiday to show your love. From making valentines for your class in elementary school to taking your significant other to dinner, there are so many ways to show our appreciation for the ones we love in life.
To start off talking about this holiday, it’s important to know the history of Valentine’s Day. How did this holiday even begin? According to history.com, there are a few “Valentine” figures in history that we may credit for this day. Our first Valentine was a priest in third century Rome. During this time the Roman Empire was at war, and Emperor Claudius II decided that “single men made better soldiers than those with wives or families,” so he outlawed marriage in an attempt to create an army full of better, more focused soldiers.
Valentine saw the injustice of this act and continued to perform marriages in secret. This act of defiance led to him, and others, being executed. Other stories suggest that Valentine was helping Christians escape prison where they were being beaten and tortured. This is where they say the first “valentine” card was sent, as he signed the card with the signature, “From your Valentine.” This is an expression we still see and use today.
There is a little history about where this holiday has derived from, though some, (like my father) believe Valentine’s Day is a “Hallmark holiday.” What are your thoughts?
In preparation for this special holiday at SUNY Geneseo, there were some great events to show your love and endearment for your valentine.
Her Campus, a student organization dedicated to publishing for and by women, put on a lovely event Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022, in the MacVittie Union lobby. To prep for this special day, they put on a valentine card-making event where you could even submit your card in their contest to potentially win a Valentine’s Day themed gift basket.
The assortment of supplies available to create your perfect valentine were exceptional—a great variety of wonderful paper, stickers, stamps, markers, scissors and, of course, candy. The event was a great way to hang out with friends and create some beautiful cards to show your appreciation for those you love. Not to mention, the playlist was killer and prompted some classic love songs and a beautiful arrangement of throwbacks.
To enter the contest, Her Campus took a cute picture of the valentine that you made and posted it to their Instagram, where their followers could vote for their favorite ones (you can find their Instagram at @hercampusgeneseo).
The Her Campus crew put on a great event and were very helpful and kind. You could definitely feel the love at this event. Thank you, Her Campus!
Iris Magazine also put on a lovely event in preparation for the holiday of love. The literary magazine sent out a lovely form that you could fill out to send a candy gram to a friend, foe, love interest or significant other. They then handed these candy grams out in the union for the lucky ducks to pick up and admire. What a lovely way to show someone your appreciation for them. Find them on Instagram @iirismaag!
To celebrate the past, new, and just love in general, Geneseo had an arrangement of events to prep for the day of love. The weekend was filled with heart stickers and the day filled with Instagram posts and couples holding hands throughout campus. Love was in the air this week, and I hope everyone had a fantastic day! Whether it was being with your significant other, friends, family, or celebrating the day celebrating yourself! We cannot forget about loving ourselves!
https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2