Section A · Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, February 12, 1998
Happy Valentine's Day!
By Jessica Dawes Special to the Kansan
So, it is almost Valentine's Day and a romantic evening awaits. The only question now is where to go.
Many students prefer dates with flowers, dinner and a movie, while others like something more unique.
On Valentine's Day, some couples enjoy spending time with their friends as well as each other by going out as a group.
Group dates sometimes can create less stress for everyone involved and also can be more fun.
"My girlfriend and I are going with 14 people to the Hakari Japanese Steak House in Kansas City," said Tony Marin, Kansas City, Kan., junior. "It has been a tradition with our friends since freshman year, and we have usually gone with at least three or four other couples. We all dress up that day and go see a movie or take a walk together instead of just sitting around in our apartments."
Leigh Standley, St. Louis junior, and Traci Meisenheimer, Oak Park, Calif., junior, said they became bored with the Lawrence dating scene and decided to do something different to find Valentine's
Day dates. The women placed an ad in Pitch Weekly's Double Dating section.
Standley said they hoped to find two men who would take them on a creative date. She said they would answer the men who delivered the best ideas.
"We wanted to find someone with creativity, someone gutsy enough to answer an ad in the Pitch," Standley said. "We are still looking for the perfect date, and it will be a fun experience. If nothing else, we can write a book about the date ideas that we get."
Students in long-distance relationships may not be able to see their significant other on Valentine's Day.
"My boyfriend is in Georgia because he is in the Army," she said. "My Friend Jamie is coming up from Hays, and we are going to spend it together, since both of our boyfriends are out of town. We will probably just go out to eat to celebrate."
Robin Hayes, Topeka freshman, said she would have to celebrate with a friend instead of with her valentine.
Jason Bishop, general manager of Paisano's, said the romantic qualities of Paisano's were what attracted many people to the restaurant.
"Between six and 10 people get engaged here every year," he said.
Valentine's not lost for single students
Group activities, parties other holiday options
By Melinda Weaver
Special to the Kansan
"To single people, Valentine's Day is
As stores adorn walls with hearts and messages for sweethearts, singles may feel left in the cold.
Clubs such as Bleachers Sports Bar, 806 W.24th St., Tremors Night Club, 729 New Hampshire St., and the The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., provide a place to meet, dance with people and enjoy the music.
Although Valentine's Day is traditionally for lovers, it does not have to mean candlelight dinners and romantic movies. The alternatives are limitless.
"You don't need a man to have a good time, even on Valentine's Day," said Kimberly Stade, Hutchinson freshman.
Valentine's Day is a Saturday, and Saturday nights are filled with a wide selection of parties. If the thought of crowded, smoky living rooms is not appealing, gathering friends and hitting the bars is an option.
just another day. Everyone will do what they normally would on a Saturday night," said Jeremy Crabb, Kansas City.Mo., junior.
To sports fans, this Valentine's Day brings hope of a decisive win against a bitter rival, the Kansas State Wildcats.
Jodi Breon, Overland Park freshman, and Rachel Pinon, Topeka freshman, plan to spend Valentine's Day cheering the basketball team in Manhattan.
Gifts may be the best part of the holiday, and singles can exchange these with friends. Sitting around devouring chocolates will help people forget their single status.
"I'm going to send myself roses," Stade said. "No one has to know."
Finally, what do you do when your roommate is counting the millions of roses collecting on the desk and hiding chocolates under the bed so that you will not steal the gifts while the romantic couple is enjoying their candlelight dinner?
Some singles also send themselves a nick-me-un.
"We're going to go party and have fun in Manhattan even if we are single. Who knows? Maybe we'll meet someone." Pinon said.
If all else fails, it costs only $5 to enjoy a big box of chocolates, she said.
Sending songs to loved ones is only a phone call away
By Jodi Smith
Special to the Kansan
Roses die and jewelry is expensive, but there is another way to impress that special someone — without sappy cards or authentic diamond certificates.
The KU Music Therapy Student Association is recruiting students, professors and faculty to buy singing valentines.
The students in the association will call a sweetheart, friend or family and sing a special song to them on the phone.
The cost is $1 for local calls, $2 for long-distance calls and $3 for international calls. Sign-up tables are in Murphy and Bailey halls, and will continue to take names through Friday.
The association has been offering the singing valentines for several years, and the popularity is growing, said John Womeldorff, vice-president of the association.
"The people who do seem to really like the idea because we do it over the phone," Womeldorff, Lawrence senior, said.
Shy people can hide behind the phone call as a secret admirer or can use it as a joke to play on family and friends.
"A lot of people think it's kind of fun, a
little different, a kind of joke their friends or loved ones will get a kick out of," said Emily Carroll, president of the association. "It's a kind of variety that's interesting, fun and new."
Amy Swan, Lawrence junior, purchased one for her mother, Jane Grauer of Marysville, whose birthday is on Valentine's Dav.
Jessica Thomas, Lawrence senior and member of the association, told her boyfriend, and it sparked interest.
The calls to Oklahoma and all other places will be made Friday night when the group gets together to have pizzas' and make calls.
"My boyfriend lives out of town and some of his friends in Oklahoma are having them sent," she said.
Songs to be sung include variations of old favorites such as Oh Christmas Tree, Bicycle Built for Two and You Are My Sunshine. The original words are altered to work in conjunction with the holiday.
"We sing songs. We encourage any of our members to bring any of their instruments to play along," Carroll said.
The money raised will be used to help send people to the regional Music Therapy conference this spring in St. Louis and the national conference next fall.
Holiday to honor traditions
By Lori O'Otoole Special to the Kansan
Special to the Kansan
The first person one sees on Feb. 14 is destined to be his or her significant other for the following year.
Although many people would laugh at this, it was a widely celebrated tradition in France during the 1660s. It also may have been a tradition that started Valentine's Day.
Regardless of whether these facts are fiction, there are many theories about the origin of this day. Some are dismissed merely as rumor or hearsay that has been passed down through generations.
One of the most popular is the story of St. Valentine, a Russian priest, who was martyred on Feb. 14, 270. Some think that he became known as the Saint of Lovers primarily by accident.
The Rev. Vince Krische at St. Lawrence Catholic Church said that the church believed that St. Valentine did exist, and that during his life, he frequently visited people in prison, often delivering love notes.
However, not everyone agrees about his existence.
"We're not even sure there was a St. Valentine," said Professor Robert Shelton, who teaches the course A Loving Relationship at the University of Kansas, "but there's a great tradition with fertility, getting a marriage partner and love."
According to Ruth Webb Lee's "A History of Valentines," the pagan celebration of Lupercalia may explain how love and romance became associated with Feb. 14. As one of the oldest holidays in Rome, it traditionally was celebrated Feb. 15, the day believed to be when birds began to mate.
The feast was celebrated by sacrificing animals and using their blood to anoint noblemen's sons. Throughout the day, women were hit with pieces of the sacrificed animals' skin, which was thought to make them more fertile.
In later centuries, early Christian fathers hoped to end old superstitious celebrations by naming the celebrations Christian feast days. St. Valentine was an obvious choice for Lupercalia, because he was martyred only one day before the celebration.
According to Frank Staff's "The Valentine and its Origins," the tradition of sending valentines also may have evolved from a historical custom celebrated in France during the Victorian Era.
Feb. 14 marked the day when names would be drawn from a lottery, and couples would be paired up for an evening of eating and dancing. At the close of the evening, each man decided if his match would make a suitable spouse, and most lottery pairs eventually married.
"The meaning of Valentine's Day has been greatly distorted by business," Shelton said. "There's a whole lot of different historical things that provide a background for the day, but the way we experience it in the U.S. today has more to do with economics, with the buying and selling of cards and gifts."
Krische agreed that the holiday had evolved into something more material
"Valentine's Day has been taken over by roses," Krische said. "It's not a big day in the Catholic Church, but it is the story of love and the fundamental command of a Christian."
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