By Morgan Powell, Contributor
As a hopeless romantic, I think Valentine’s Day is a very exciting time of year. It may be my favorite holiday.
It’s not so much the idea of exchanging chocolates, flowers and stuffed animals that I find intriguing, but the principle behind the holiday. What girl doesn’t love it when a man steps up to the plate and acts like a gentleman, even if only for a day? Being a gentleman one day a year isn’t asking much.
That’s all from the female’s perspective, however. If you wanted a male’s perspective, I believe this will shed some light: my boyfriend and I have had countless conversations about Valentine’s Day, and he says,”It’s a holiday made by women in order to receive gifts.”
What he doesn’t know is that he’s quite misled, as many people seem to be. If everyone took time to consider the history behind Valentine’s Day, some would be astounded to know that Valentine’s Day actually evolved from the pagan holiday Lupercalia, which predated St. Valentine. I learned in high school that on Lupercalia, single women would deposit their names in a pitcher, men would draw a name, and the two would stay together for a year or longer, during which time they were supposed to procreate. Though this was not a long-term custom, men and women continued the tradition of writing cards, which evolved into exchanging tokens of love, such as gifts and flowers.
Unfortunately, very few care about the history and continue to despise this holiday. Though some men do enjoy pleasing women, one thing remains almost universal – they hate to spend their hard-earned cash on one holiday that isn’t even directly associated with the girl in question.
In the male brain, women are programmed to expect something, and the male thought process goes something like this: “I’m completely broke from Christmas and now it’s Valentine’s Day, when I’m expected to shell out $25 for red roses, $40 for dinner, and $20 for some sappy chick flick that I’m not even interested in seeing (not to mention popcorn and soda).”
If only they knew that not all women expect this from them. While some girls have higher expectations, the majority of us would be thrilled with an inexpensive date. Girls dig creative, non-cookie-cutter dates that often cost less than the traditional Valentine’s Day shindig. If more men were aware of women’s simple requests, I believe more people would enjoy this holiday like I do.
What women really want, though, is a pioneer in the romance field. A pioneer places less emphasis on money and more on passion. Cherishing those in your life, celebrating dthe time you two have been together and rekindling your love is what women want men to embrace.
I believe Valentine’s Day is a day we should welcome with open arms since it’s an opportunity to rejuvenate and revive the truest meaning of love, for love is ultimate bliss.
