With Valentine’s Day coming up on Feb. 14, millions of businesses in countries around the world are preparing for the holiday, but that doesn’t mean that everybody enjoys it. In fact if you asked the women of Ancient Rome they would probably roar in dissent.

Valentine’s Day originated in Ancient Rome in 270 AD as a barbaric and ritualistic event called Lupercalia in which men whipped women with the belief that it would make them fertile. Today, rather than associating Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia, people believe it to be about true love. This association came from the history of a Roman priest named St. Valentine who was executed for continuing to wed young couples after Claudius II–the emperor of Rome during the time–had outlawed it.

The history is ambiguous–there are various Valentine’s Day origin stories, and three St.Valentine’s referenced within them–so I set out to find just what is Solon High School’s opinion on the holiday. Does it deserve holiday status or is it just a “Hallmark” holiday?

Popular belief is that the holiday is for girls, and while girls do enjoy it, boys do too. Sophomore and Valentine’s Day fan Joshua Schwartz said that although the holiday really doesn’t make any sense to him, he said that he thinks it’s fun, and that the purpose of the holiday is amiable.

“I think the [objective] of Valentine’s Day is to [celebrate] love and to show appreciation to [people that] have impacted you in a positive way,” Schwartz said.

When told of the history of Lupercalia, Schwartz had a change of heart, saying that he questions the very existence of the holiday, yet the St. Valentine’s history reassured him in his perception of the holiday.

Then there are guys that have the stereotypical anti-Valentine’s Day outlook, as Andy Chen exemplifies. Chen said that he finds the holiday atrocious.

“You can [throw it] in the trash with me. People really shouldn’t need a date set aside to show love to their significant other,” Chen said.

Senior Charles Gortz has a less radical approach to the holiday, claiming overall neutrality towards it, but he said if he were to be in a relationship, his opinion would change, and he would even choose to celebrate.

Gortz detached attitude is mirrored in junior Lorena Ianiro as well.

“I don’t particularly love or hate Valentine’s Day. If anything, I just try to ignore it,” Ianiro said.

Ianiro may maintain an impartial status on the holiday as is, but if she had a Valentine, she said that things would change.

“If I were in a relationship I’d definitely go all out both for the sake of my partner and for the sake of a good time,” Ianiro said.

While Ianiro would give her all for her relationship, freshman Praditha Behara just adores the holiday, and although most may think the holiday is just for couples, Behara celebrates even though she’s not in a relationship.

“I usually wear pink or red and dress up and bring my friends candy,” Behara said.

Behara even claims the holiday as one of her favorite times of the year, but when she learned about Lupercalia, she said she was bothered by the fact that it stems from such savage roots.

The holiday’s history may be gory, the general opinions on the holiday may be all over the place and these are just some of many SHS students’ opinions, but the overall Valentine’s Day consensus appears to be crap.