All holidays contribute to and are influenced by capitalism/consumerism to some extent, simply by purchasing goods and companies advertising, but capitalism is not the root of most holidays, including Valentine's Day. Although the exact origins of Valentine's Day are unclear, it is known that it began around the Middle Ages in Europe as a way to honor the fallen St. Valentine (patron saint of lovers), as he was beheaded on February 14. It also has some connection to a poem by Chaucer, and to the beginning of the bird's mating season. Regardless, lovers have been exchanging notes and some gifts on Valentine's Day for centuries. Socialist countries, such as Cuba and China, also celebrate Valentine's Day, and in a similar fashion as Western society; buying gifts, flowers, exchanging cards, going to dinner, etc. Gift giving exists far beyond capitalism, it can be traced back as far as cavemen. And, Valentine's Day (and most holidays where gift exchanges occur, such as birthdays and Christmas) has a purpose/origin other than gift giving. So while it may be something that capitalism takes advantage of, it's not accurate to say that it is the driving force behind Valentine's Day, or any other holiday for that matter. Correlation doesn't equal causation.

Valentine’s day is just another excuse for big companies to make money from mass-produced teddy bears, roses and chocolates. While it’s true that this is the case all year round with other holidays, Valentine’s day has no other meaning in the modern age aside from expensive gift-giving, pressure, competition, and the filling the pockets of large corporations. It can be argued that Valentine’s is a celebration of love, but this is something we should be celebrating all year round, or on anniversaries instead- where couples could celebrate their relationship on their own special date, rather than every couple competing for restaurant tables on the same commercialised day every year. Valentine’s day is also a day where sudden shows of material affection are expected, so surely surprising your significant other with heart-shaped pancakes in bed on any other day but February 14th would be much more spontaneous. Also, here there would be no pressure because of the surprise element, unlike the overrated ‘surprises’ on Valentine’s day. People should do nice, romantic things because they *want to*, not because of pressure from society and big companies thrusting pink and red teddies in your face. There is also the argument here that your relationship’s stability shouldn’t hang on to one commercialised day: as stated in the University of Exeter newspaper, we shouldn’t be taking ‘someone for granted 364 days of the year and suddenly decide to buy overpriced chocolates’ [1]. The promotion of over-expensive gift giving is also often sprinkled with heteronormative, gender-role reinforcing undertones, which overly focuses on women receiving the gifts and men buying them. Research informs us (National Retail Federation) that ‘men spend an average of $229.94, while women spend about $97.77’ [2]. Also, advertisements are usually aimed at women receiving presents, such as Bath & Body Works’ website in 2019, which featured a 'huge banner saying “She’ll love love love you forever", and this over-focus on women on Valentine’s Day isn’t new' [3]. Additionally, this competition of ‘who can get the best gift’ puts on even more stress, as it's ‘very unlikely that both sides will strike up the perfect balance hence leading to a 'you don't love me as much as I love you' type argument’ [4]. Valentine’s day being a Capitalist holiday doesn’t mean it should be scrapped, it’s lovely to celebrate your relationship and spoil your loved ones. However nowadays it’s just a commercialised day reliant on material possessions and restaurant reservations, when a ‘celebration of your love’ should really be more than just buying something [5]. [1] Grace Proctor in *Exeposé*, February 14, 2017 [https://exepose.com/2017/02/14/is-valentines-day-just-a-capitalist-holiday/] [2] Sammy Jo Cienfuegos in *Hilltop Views*, February 11, 2019 [https://www.hilltopviewsonline.com/17965/viewpoints/capitalist-holiday-pushes-gender-norms-onto-unknowing-consumers/] [3] Belicia Chevolleau in *The Varsity*, February 9, 2019 [https://thevarsity.ca/2019/02/09/opinion-valentines-day-is-a-celebration-of-capitalism/] [4] Darragh Berry in *Lovin.IE*, February 6, 2018 [https://lovin.ie/lifestyle/valentines-day-banned] [5] Ely Willard in *The Wellesley News*, February 12, 2020 [https://thewellesleynews.com/2020/02/12/valentines-day-is-a-capitalist-scam]

I think it would be more appropriate to say that valentines day had *become* a capitalist holiday. While we still have a holiday to celebrate the traditions @sofiawells has described, it is undoubtedly an exploited market. But even if it is capitalist, that doesn't mean that those celebrating it are disingenuous. Sure, the market tries to sell the holiday, but not everyone buys.

I disagree with this opinion because I think it is only a capitalist holiday if someone chooses to make it into a capitalist holiday. It is all about intention and purpose. If someone feels pressured to buy countless products and elaborate gifts because they feel pressured by advertisements, then this would be making it into a capitalist holiday. However, for many people this is not the case. Valentines day is a genuine holiday to celebrate love. Someone may want to buy someone else a gift just because they want to make them feel appreciated and loved. Their intentions are completely pure and not motivated by pressures of capitalism. Additionally, many people celebrate Valentines day by making homemade gifts such as cards, or picking their own flowers from a field. This allows people to celebrate the holiday without contributing to the capitalism of the holiday. For many cases, many people want to celebrate the holiday for genuine reasons which are deeper than the materialistic pressures.

Every holiday is a capitalist holiday. Of all the holidays, I'd say that valentines day is for sure the least capitalist of them all.