The History of Valentine’s Day
Over the next month, everybody tries to find that person to spend the 14th with, but it is quite difficult now than it was before to ask the person out. People in the mid/late 19 century would ask someone face to face or would write a thoughtful letter with an invitation to dinner . With the event of social media, many people are used to talking through Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter DMs, but it’s quite rare that somebody will go up to you and ask you out. People, including teens, have become reluctant to express themselves as well, because they’re used to hiding behind a phone, photoshop, or an Avatar.
Valentine’s Day is the celebration of love and affection, as well as a tradition from the Christians and ancient Romans. It all started with St. Valentine, a priest during the third century; but, an emperor named Claudius believed that young men were better than married men because they had more options, so he forbid the men to try and find love, and St.Valentine disagreed with this law. So, he decided to secretly perform marriages, and was caught and killed by Claudius. Valentine’s Day is also known for giving your loved ones gifts and a showing your appreciation to them. It’s celebrated throughout the world. Sadly, not everybody is going to have someone to spend it with, so you’re basically lonely the whole day, while your parents go for a dinner and you’re stuck babysitting your younger sibling.
Time brought change: now, there a something called CATFISH!l Someone you might be interested in sends direct message(DM)) –well, you really don’t ever know who that is. It can be an old man pretending to be a young girl or vice versa. This is just one way social media has eroded truthful and raw communication between humans, which is what is what’s at the root of meaningful connection-what everyone wants.
There are now dating apps, including Tinder, Bumble or Happn, but these really aren’t apps where people “find love”. The article “Tinder’s Days as a Hookup App May be Over,” explains that when Tinder first launched, it was known as a game of “hot or not.” Louise Matsakis explains, “ A hook up is when someone wants to meet up with someone like a friend or when two people decide to have a night where it’s mostly sexual contact.”
Before this new era with electronics and social media, many people did approach each other face to face or gave a quick phone call or even a sweet and nice letter but they would not stay up all night to text each other like modern teens do. This basically continues with how face to face communication has changed and how everyone is stuck on their phone. TL senior Jackson Darby, said communicating through text has changed for the better because he is now able to talk to his girlfriend when they are not together. Jackson is also sharing with his significant other and communicating on what’s happening. Another TL senior, Aydin Oelzturk, stated that, “Communication has helped a lot and I make sure I’m always on the same page as my significant other.”
There are many couples at Terra Linda and they were able to tell us what love means to them: Ryann De Graves , sophomore explained that, “Love to me is when you trust the person and go out of the way to be there for them, an escape.”
A couple explained that, “love is being happy with someone and trusting that person”. Bryan Mazariegos, junior, emphasized, “Someone whos there for you during good or bad at any situation.” His girlfriend Kristina Poliseri explained it with four beautiful words: “Trust, fun, sacrifice and support”. Junior Molly Madden, explained that, “Love is caring for somebody, having a connection with someone and having a feeling for someone where you want them to be the best they can be.”
Being in love does not only mean sexual contact–a significant other is supposed to be your best friend, the person you trust, the one you think about all the time, the one you have arguments with but get along the next day and act like nothing happened.
