Each year, February 14th brings about mixed feelings among those who celebrate St. Valentine’s famed holiday. Though flowers, candy, and heart-shaped cards may come to mind, some choose to celebrate Valentine’s Day in an unorthodox fashion – or reject the holiday altogether. With each of Battlefield’s 3,000 students having a different opinion, pink and red show through black and purple in many different ways. 

The origin of Valentine’s Day looks entirely different to the way it is most often portrayed today. While the holiday’s namesake is widely disputed, The History Channel describes the celebration’s creation as an effort of the Christian church to make the Pagan festival, Lupercalia, more Christian. During the festival, “priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide.” As enjoyable as that may be, the fertility festival was eventually left behind for the February 14th celebration which is still commemorated today. After hundreds of years, advances in technology and communication, and a commercialization of the holiday, Valentine’s Day has come to be known as the most romantic day of the year.

While the holiday is loved by enough people to buy out every red rose from Pennsylvania to Washington, there are a few who prefer to keep their distance from all things heart-shaped this time of year. Battlefield senior, Emma Bloodworth, is one of those few. Bloodworth confessed in an interview, “I dislike Valentine’s Day because people become extremely soft and ditsy. Also, people should show their love and affection 24/7 and there should not be a specific day throughout the year to tell you when to show how much you love someone.” Her belief lies in the fact that she shows her affection to loved ones year round, not waiting on a specific day to leave a heartfelt note, or gift someone chocolate. 

Bloodworth is not alone in her stance on V-day. Yet another BHS senior, Sonia “Bugz” Bhadare-Valente, views the day as pointless. Bugz says, “I’ve never really seen the point of it, but mostly because I’m not really a romantic person and that’s what the day is dedicated to.”  She displays the anticipated anti-Valentine’s response, neglecting the holiday for its amorous themes. Despite the unpopular trend Valentine’s Day finds at Battlefield, millions of people happily celebrate February 14th with those they keep closest to their hearts.