Valentine’s Day is often portrayed in our favorite movies and TV shows as a romantic holiday filled with roses, candlelight dinners, and big grand gestures. Just like many other aspects of real life, this is not the reality for most people. Let’s see how students in the DVC community enjoy Valentine’s Day.

According to HISTORY, the holiday of love was originally created as a way to honor St. Valentine, and it quickly became a way to celebrate widespread love. It was also believed

 that Feb. 14 was the start of the birds’ mating season, which added onto the beliefs that it was a day to celebrate intimacy. It has since become less of a way to honor a Christian God and more of a way to express simple gratitude to others. According to Good Housekeeping, 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year on Feb. 14 in the United States, meaning that it is the second most popular holiday to send greeting cards behind Christmas. 

Many people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day in a different way, from hanging out with friends, to a dinner date, and everything in between. After all, it is a holiday to celebrate love, and lo

ve comes in many forms. Crystal Lamas, a senior at DVC, shared how she spent Valentine’s Day. 

“I spent Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend this year. We just stayed at home and got some fro-yo, and enjoyed each other’s company,” she revealed.  

It is more popular among younger students to spend the day with their friends. Richy Lamas, a sophomore at DVC, seemed to echo this sentiment when sharing his Valentine’s Day activities. 

“I just spent the day with my friends as usual,” he said. “We just all hung out together.”

Similarly, there are people who don’t do anything on the day themselves, but enjoy basking in the atmosphere of the holiday! Jannan Shahid, a senior at DVC, stated that she has a love-hate relationship with Valentine’s Day. 

“[I] spent the day looking at the couples, and seeing what they were all doing,” said Shahid. 

There is no wrong way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Some people choose to not celebrate it at all. No matter what, Valentine’s Day can always be a day of self-love, even without a valentine.