Interviewing over thirty students and faculty members about Valentine's Day yielded a variety of responses which fall into three categories: 'No', 'No, But I Would If I Could', and 'Yes'.
According to lore, Saint Valentine was a bishop who was martyred in the third century A.D. for the cause of love. As early as the fifth century, Saint Valentine's Day has been associated with romantic love. However, since Valentine's Day was introduced fairly recently to modern Dutch culture, whole generations of Dutch people find it an alien holiday, rooted more in capitalist American culture than in traditional Dutch culture. Bart Singerling, calls it 'just an American holiday for commercial purposes.' A few people have hardly heard of Valentine's Day. Rene Mikkelsen said that it's not a big deal in his native Denmark and admitted, 'I have no idea when it is.'
Another group of people who snub Valentine's Day believe that they don't need a holiday prescribed by Hallmark to honor their loved ones. As Marleen van Rijsbergen, explains, 'I just think it's strange to have a particular day to have to be romantic.' Another Dutch undergrad Aleid Meijberg, cheerfully rationalizes, 'For me every day is Valentine's Day.' Huseyin Ozdemir confides that he and his wife 'try to avoid these days because it's too commercial. I buy flowers any day, not just on February 14. We try to do things on our special dates.' He added, however, that in his homeland of Turkey, Valentine's Day is huge, 'People go crazy; shops are filled; flower prices are doubled.'
Next comes the 'I Would If I Could' group. Two justifications typify this category: no significant other or the significant other lives too far away. One group of women undergraduates in Communications lamented, 'No, we're all single.' Meanwhile, on the other side of campus, three male Mathematics undergraduates grumbled, 'No, we have no girlfriends.' If only they could meet up!
Wang Chunrong sadly related that her husband lives in Amsterdam. When they lived in China, they always used to go out for dinner together. Valentine's Day is very popular in China among young people; she added that there are never any tables left at good restaurants. Such is also the plight of Theodora Polendakova, whose boyfriend lives in Bulgaria. She likes the idea of Valentine's Day, 'Everyone wants to love and be loved. I think it's the most important thing in life.'
Finally comes the group that intends to honor Saint Valentine, although some more enthusiastically than others. Overwhelmingly women look forward to Valentine's Day more than men. Some men admitted that they grudgingly take their partners out for dinner "just out of habit" or because their girlfriends might otherwise get mad. Only UT alumnus Oskar Middel appeared genuinely enthused about February 14. He plans to pay a surprise visit to his girlfriend. Whileshe's out, he'll enter her house and wait in bed for her. His only fear is that she'll have the same idea!
American Phing Choo, revealed that her husband Professor Jaap van der Vegt takes his favorite gals - Phing and daughter Isabelle - out for dinner every Valentine's Day. Phing and Isabelle used to make heart-shaped sandwiches for Jaap, but the tradition died when he complained that he was embarrassed to eat them in front of his colleagues in the Mathematics Department.
One February 14 fan, Marion Stijkerman, describes the lovers' holiday as 'a special night to pay attention to each other. It's nice to spend the evening together.'
Marije Schreur concurs, declaring that she loves the idea of Valentine's Day because 'It's an excuse to show how much you care for someone.'
To quote the Fab Four, 'All you need is love.' Happy Valentine's Day!
