Valentine’s day has many conflicting origin stories. Students are commonly taught that the holiday has roots in Christian Martyrdom, with the death of a priest who secretly married couples in the sewers, which was illegal under Roman rule. Other sources cite the Roman festival Lupercalia as the beginning of the holiday.

No matter the beginning, the truth is that Valentine’s Day is a staple of American culture that reaches deeper than the sale of Hallmark cards. Everyone remembers elementary school Valentine’s Day cards with lollipops and candies attached to them, paired with terrible, little-kid handwriting that misspelled “Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Lincoln students, coupled or not, will nevertheless be victims of tacky chocolates and heart-shaped teddy bears, balloons, and bouquets in every department store. However, not everyone will experience Valentine’s Day the same way…

In Argentina, Valentine’s Day is observed as Día de Los Enamorados, but Argentinians have more than just one day to celebrate love– La Semana de la Dulzura (a Week of Sweetness) begins on July 1st and lasts until July 7th. It began in 1989 when Arcor, a candy company, began to advertise the slogan, “a piece of candy for a kiss”.

You might recognize Arcor as the company that makes the mysterious candy wrapped to look like a strawberry. Other candies exchanged include classic chocolates, along with gummies, sweets, and alfajores.

On March 14th, White Day will be celebrated in Japan, as well as China, Taiwan, and South Korea. White Day is a reciprocal holiday to Valentine’s day, when lovers (commonly men) give reciprocating gifts to their partners (mostly women) who gave them gifts a month earlier on Valentine’s Day.

According to legend,  White Day started from a letter to a women’s magazine in 1977 complaining about the lack of appreciation for gifts received by men on Valentine’s Day: “Why don’t they give us something? A handkerchief, candy, even marshmallows…”

It should be noted that Valentine’s Day is not celebrated across the globe. In several Muslim countries, such as Iran, Pakistan, and Indonesia, the holiday is banned from being celebrated due to its conflicting interests with Islamic beliefs.

In Pakistan, Haya Day, an alternative to Valentine’s Day, is also celebrated on February 14. Haya Day is observed by students in many cities across Pakistan as “Modesty Day”, which protests the ideals presented by Valentine’s Day and promotes modesty and respect.

An anonymous student tells me, “I think it’s cute! I think people should take it more seriously. It should expand to platonic love– I really like the idea of Galentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day should be about celebrating the people you care about.”

Galentine’s Day was created on the hit sitcom Parks and Recreation in 2010, when Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) invents a reason to celebrate her best friends. Since then, it has exploded in popularity. Galentine’s Day is celebrated on February 13th.

Valentine’s Day won’t be going away anytime soon, so everyone deserves to spend it with people they love. Happy Valentine’s Day!

“Us girls have to stick together!” -Elle Woods, Legally Blonde