February 2009
Page 5
BY JOSHUA ENRIQUEZ
Staff Writer
Couples see Valentine’s Day
as the day to show affection to
their significant other by provid-
ing them some sort of a gift such
as jewelry, dinner and a movie, or
spending some time together gaz-
ing at the stars. No matter what
present one may give on Valen-
cial and memorable.
Valentine’s Day is celebrated
on February 14, which is named
after numerous Early Christian
martyrs named Valentine. There
is one specific story about a cer-
tain priest named Valentine that
the Western hemisphere has
adopted a custom.
In early times, Valentine re-
fused a law that was made by the
Roman Emperor Claudius II, who
had ordered young men to remain
single. He did this to increase his
army, believing that a married
man was not a good ingredient for
being an efficient
soldier.
The priest, §
Valentine, se- |
cretly performed !
marriage ceremo-
nies: for young
men. When Claudius
found out, he had Val-
entine arrested and sen-
tenced to death. On the
evening before Valentine §
was to be executed, he wrote
the first “Valentine”, which was
addressed to a young girl that was
identified to be his beloved. It
was a note that read, “From your
Valentine”, which is the custom
that the ‘Western Hemisphere has
adopted. 22
In the west, it is usually the
men who present the gifts to the
women. In Japan, it is the women
that present gifts to the men on
White Day, which is one month
after Valentine’s Day. White Day
is a day females present chocolate
gifts to their significant others as
an expression of love. The re-
ceiver usually prefers handmade
chocolate because it is a sign that
the receiving person is the other’s
“only one.” Valentine’s Day,
in general, should be a reminder
of why two people chose to be
together. It is not only just about
one’s significant other but also
one’s family and friends.
“When 1 wake up, I would
want to see the man of my dreams
lying in bed next to me and I
would want to spend the entire
day with him”, says Freshman
Alyssa Lee Politi. When asked,
“What would you want the most
from your significant other”, she
replied, “acceptance for who I am
because there are too many rela-
tionships where the significant
other does not accept the good
and the bad of the other person.
They in- tend to change
them for
h the better
jw hen
some -
times it’s
for the
worse.”
For Fresh-
men Lauren Rodri-
guez and Emilynelle
Manotti, Valentine’s Day is
“superficial because it’s one day
out of the year where you de-
cide to show ‘extra love’. Why
can’t you do it all year round?”
Gift Lauren has ever received was
when she “got asked out once on
Valentine’s Day and it was pretty
funny because she put roses in my
locker with a note in it. I thought
it was a stalker so I started look-
ing around to find
her and she
looked so beau-
tiful that day;
she was
wearing this
really ele-
gant dress.”
Freshman
Representa-
tive Michael
Chang says,
“To me, every |
day is Valen- |
tine’s Day be- |
cause you can |
always find
something new
to do for your
significant
other.” For his significant other,
he would “order take-out from
their favorite restaurant, stay
home, and watch a movie to-
gether.”
“I think Valentine’s Day is a
crappy holiday because it’s sup-
posed to promote love and peace.
We’re supposed to be having that
every day of the year so why con-
fine that to be one day”, says
Freshman Jerry Hopkins. On Val-
entine’s Day, “I would go out to
have a candlelit dinner
or go to the movies
with my significant
other.” J
Freshman
money for special people. It’s
le. almost like an excuse to
spend money but you can
L do that any other day. It’s
| almost like it’s manda-
| tory to spend money.
Other
pee than that,
- I’m glad to help
the economy in some shape or
form.” One memorable moment
that he had on Valentine’s Day
was when “I went ice skating
with my significant other and ate
at Ruby Tuesday’s. Even though
it was a group thing, I had a good
time.”
Freshman Adriana San-
tamaria, says “Valentine’s Day is
the day to commemorate the love
you have for your friends, family,
yourself, and for that special
someone.” For that day, “I’m go-
ing to spend the day with my
significant other and hang
out with friends and have
a fun dinner. We could
exchange gifts, go to the
movies and even have
| some ice cream!”
While some people
love the idea of spending
f the whole day with their
I significant others, others
think that the holiday is just
a poor excuse to show extra
love and presents. People
wonder that if one can show
people be able to do that every
day the whole year round.