and history backs me up
By Jace Hume
Somewhere along the way, Valentine’s Day got nicked by the couples only crew. They ended up turning this day into a holiday that makes most single people feel right uncomfortable. They either want to dramatically fade into the wallpaper or try to pretend they don’t have emotions at all. This is simply ridiculous! The whole point of a valentine is simple: you’re telling someone, “Mate, I’m glad that you exist.”
And what about the history? It was never only a couples thing. Valentine’s Day started as a religious feast day connected to a martyr. It was a calendar day first, not a date night. All that mushy stuff came about way later in time. Some historians point out this occurred sometime in the middle ages.
Here’s the bit people forget: valentines weren’t ever automatically for your one and only true love. The tradition of giving cards has long included friendly notes, not just romantic ones. We call those friendship cards. It’s something that’s continued on in schools all around the world. The basics are that you go about giving everyone a valentine. It’s a bit like saying, “You’re part of the group, and you matter,” without needing a dramatic violin soundtrack. It’s about making people smile and not feeling left out, innit?
So here’s my official stance, for the school record:
Valentines are for friends. For family. For teammates. For the person who lends you a quill when yours dries out. For the mate who sits with you at breakfast when you look like you’ve been cursed by a duvet. Romance can have it too, obviously. I’m not banning romance. I’m simply refusing to let it hog the limelight like a first year with a new broom.
Because if a day is about love, then trying to restrict it to couples only is like trying to restrict sunshine to only the people that own sunglasses. It makes no sense, and it’s bad for morale. Also, it’s a bit embarrassing, honestly.
Send a valentine to your best friend. Send one to your gran. Send one to your dormmates. Send one to the person you’ve argued with all year, if you’re brave and feeling lucky that day. Even if it’s just a scrap of parchment that says “no hard feelings,” it still counts!
But don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t count unless it’s romantic. History says it counts. And, quite bluntly, so do I!
