As a European who grew up on military bases for almost my entire life, Valentine’s Day was never celebrated by anyone in my circle. In Europe, Valentine’s Day is more of a private affair if couples decide to celebrate it at all. There are no loud, grand displays of love or Instagram posts dedicated to their partner. Instead, Valentine’s Day is celebrated behind closed doors, between couples in a private fashion.
When I moved to America, most things about the United States were a culture shock, especially regarding holidays. Valentine’s Day was one of the holidays that confused me the most. I went from seeing low-key affairs to love declarations thrown out for the entire world. I didn’t understand the culture of inviting the world to look at your relationship and open it for judgment.
Despite my view on Valentine’s Day and how I grew up with it, it is one of my least favorite holidays. I never understood why Valentine’s Day was so big; it’s just an excuse for bad partners to pretend that they have been good partners throughout the year on a single day. In my opinion, if you truly love someone and want to be with them, then you show them love, respect, and kindness every day of the year, not just a single holiday.
However, the longer I have spent in this country, the more I have grown used to holidays that don’t make any sense to me but are loved by my friends and family. Whenever Valentine’s Day comes around, an iteration of the holiday, “Galentines,” is hosted.
I’ve found that Valentine’s Day has become less about romantic relationships and more about platonic friendships in my life. It’s become a day when my friends and I can celebrate our friendships with each other. Galentine’s has become a time to enjoy older romantic movies, gossip while making dinner and host arts and crafts. As trivial as it seems, it has been something all of my friends look forward to.
The majority of us have chaotic schedules with school and work that are hard to work around. Deciding what to do every week and finding specific days when we can get together is a struggle. So, to be able to use Valentine’s Day as an excuse to find time to see each other and celebrate Galentine’s, even if only for a few hours, has made the holiday slightly more tolerable.
Valentine’s Day is nothing more than a commercialized and over-glamourized holiday, one that has confused me ever since I first celebrated it in America. I don’t think I will ever truly enjoy Valentine’s Day, but I do love it for what it has brought into my life because it has allowed me to keep valuable friendships strong.
