Love is not easily defeated, with people managing to find some ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day during the national lockdown. Whether it’s by organising home dates or virtually meeting via Zoom, people have found new ways to create a romantic atmosphere.
Paris Omar, 21, who has lived with her boyfriend for the whole lockdown period, said that they were going to order from their favourite Indian restaurant and “make an effort in terms of dressing up”. This date will take place at her boyfriend’s home: “We’ll probably sit at a table and eat it with some alcohol as if we were in a restaurant, and then binge some Netflix,” she said.
Eva Kedits, 20, whose boyfriend is in Norway now, said that they are going to have an online date: “As we’re both into Formula1, we’ll watch a virtual race being held on the 14th and have dinner while watching and commenting on it.”
As Eva explains, not going out is not necessarily a big deal. What makes this year’s Valentine’s Day feel like less of a celebration is the fact that people will not be able to be together: “The difference is not so much not going out, but rather not being in the presence of each other. Valentine’s Day can definitely be celebrated even by spending some time together inside, so what makes it feels ‘less’ of a celebration is being far away.”
Andrew Duffy, 22, shares the same opinion: “I think that it’s the effort each person makes and the connection between them that counts. To be entirely honest, I am not that big on ‘hallmark holidays’,” he said. In fact, he added that the pressure around Valentine’s Day is mostly commercial: “Not everyone has the budget for a fancy dinner or ridiculous gifts when you can literally cook at home and actually spend time with the person in an intimate and loving way”.
On the other hand, Emma Taylor James, 22, thinks that “it’s definitely hard to feel like you’re celebrating or marking an occasion when you’re not going out and doing the same things as always”. She believes that “there are some ways to celebrate, but it might not be what we’re used to”.
There’s no doubt that Valentine’s Day will be slightly different this year, but the celebration spirit will definitely help people to feel loved, even during lockdown.