Throughout the years, Valentine’s Day has been a tradition not only for Filipinos but all around the world. This day showcases how couples love each other and what they are willing to do to express their love for each other.

Some couples go on a grand date, buy expensive gifts and flowers, and others go to a park and watch the sunset while sharing plans for their future. Whatever those plans, Valentine’s Day is a once-a-year celebration and should be worth remembering.

But is the celebration still a relevant and significant day to Gen Z couples?

Kristine Joyce Dela Cruz, 23, who has been in a relationship for nine years, believes that Valentine’s Day is not as significant as she thought it would be, and she only realized this during the pandemic.

The Pandemic

“During the pandemic, I realized that Valentine’s Day is not as important as Christmas celebrations and birthdays. Even though I am in a relationship, I believe that we should treat February 14 as a normal day,” she said,

When asked why February 14 should be treated as an ordinary day, Dela Cruz said it’s because of the pandemic when “a lot of people lost their jobs.”

“We have seen how many people crawled to survive the pandemic, and seeing them makes me question why some Filipinos have to really think about spending so much money for a day that you can celebrate any time,” she said.

Dela Cruz thinks the COVID-19 crisis is a wake-up call for everyone to spend only a little of their savings just to keep up with this practice.

Practice simplicity

Due to the pandemic, Dela Cruz realized that “simplicity” could still grow the relationship. It’s not a test of a relationship but a “reality” to ponder that love is celebrated every day despite financial shortcomings.

But it is a different story for 23-year-old Marie Antonette Ventura. For her, the celebration of Valentine’s Day is “monumental” for several reasons. 

“For me, who is in a long distance relationship because of my work, this day is monumental because this is the only time that I get to spend time with my partner,” said Ventura.

Ventura works in the metro, while her partner resides in Bulacan. Because of work, they hardly have time to see each other.

This is why planning Valentine’s day is vital for their relationship. It maintains the chain that keeps them committed.

According to Ventura, during pre-pandemic years, she doesn’t pay significance to Valentine’s Day despite being single at the time because, for her, the occasion is just an ordinary day since it’s not an official holiday in the country. But due to the pandemic, she realized that Valentine’s day is not just about couples celebrating love, but it’s also an occasion “celebrating the existence of the people you love.”

“Because of Covid, it’s like I’m trapped, and as someone whose love language is physical touch, I feel like I’m falling behind my sanity because I’m really sad so when the restrictions eased, I said to myself: I won’t waste any occasion with my friends, family, or even my partner,” she said.

Stability

However, from the point of view of Jim Gabriel, 24, Valentine’s Day because of the pandemic is a question of stability and creativity on how to celebrate the day.

“The celebration of Valentine’s Day is a question of security. You have to think long term and not just the 14th, so if you have the means, you have the freedom to spend the day the way you want it to celebrate but if you are struggling financially, you can think of other ways to showcase your love through other forms of love language,” said Gabriel.

According to Gabriel, there’s no shame in admitting that you cannot afford something; what matters is that the “presence” is felt – regardless of the method of showing it.

“In terms of showing, there’s no such thing as a standard way of expressing your love for someone, don’t be too consumed by how social media portrays what true love really is,” he said.

Presents vs Presence 

He added that because of COVID-19, “togetherness” is much more important than present because the world is “unpredictable.”

“With what’s happening in our society today, it is important that we let our presence be felt by our friends, family, and of course, our partners because we don’t know what’s going to happen in the next few years,” said Gabriel.

Will we eventually reach a situation where young people no longer consider Valentine’s Day an important event? If that’s the case, the younger generations have developed new ways to celebrate love: acceptance, transformation, and breaking the established patterns. 

And it appears the world is heading in a new direction.