From flowers to candy hearts, around $20 billion dollars was spent in the united states alone last year for Valentine’s Day.
Each year, this industry appears to continuously grow, but maybe you have stopped to think about what it's you're actually celebrating?
Here is the real story behind Valentine’s Day…
The Story of Saint Valentine
The story behind Valentine’s Day begins within the third century, when Emperor Claudius II Gothicus, who was nicknamed Claudius the Cruel, ruled the Roman Empire.
Claudius wasn't a liked man, and shortly started to have trouble recruiting good soldiers for his army. He thought that this was because of the fact that a lot of young men were married, and therefore they did not want to leave their wives behind to visit off and fight inside a battle. Even if they did leave, Claudius thought that they were so worried about dying and leaving their own families behind that they did not fight properly.
So, Claudius found a solution…
The Emperor decided to place a ban against all engagements and marriages in Rome.
As you can imagine, the Church, who strongly believed that marriage was a sacred union that should be encouraged, ws unhappy with this particular. However, nobody desired to endure Claudius the Cruel.
This is where Saint Valentine enters the story…
Saint Valentine would be a Christian priest who firmly supported the strength of love and marriage.
So, he continued to marry young soldiers before they went off to war.
In 269 A.D., the Emperor found out about what Valentine was doing. As you can imagine, he was furious, and threw Valentine into prison, sentencing him to death.
While he was waiting for his execution day to reach, Valentine fell in love with the daughter from the jail keeper, and she happened to be blind. It is stated that Valentine’s prayers healed the girl and gave her back her sight, convincing her father to turn to Christianity.
The night before Valentine was due to be executed, he squeezed some violets to extract some ink, and wrote an intimate sonnet for the jail keeper’s daughter. He signed this off as “from your Valentine,” which is why that phrase is still so popular today.
Sadly, Valentine was executed the following day, quitting his life to ensure that young adults might get married.
February 14th
You have probably guessed right now that Valentine’s Day was made to be able to commemorate Valentine, who had been granted sainthood years after his death.
The Catholic Church decided to organize a feast in the name, so that people would remember everything that Valentine did within the name of affection.
Why did they choose February 14th with this celebration?
No, this wasn’t the anniversary of Saint Valentine’s death.
Instead, according to ancient beliefs, February 14th may be the date where lovebirds, such as doves and owls, start to mate.
Valentine’s Day Within the Centuries
Instead of fading with time, the idea of Valentine’s Day only grew popular as time continued.
It was in A.D. 1477 the first “Valentine” was designed in English, when Margery Brewes wrote an appreciation letter to her fiancee, John Paston, referring to him as “my right well-beloved Valentine”.
Valentine’s Day continued to look in literature, and even William Shakespeare referred to this special day in his play, Hamlet.
So, when did Valentine’s Day really begin to infiltrate into the masses?
It was round the 1700s when Americans started to send handmade Valentine’s cards and gifts to each other. These were not only sent to lovers, but to friends too, and were often delivered by hand.
However, right before the beginning of the 19th Century, Valentine’s Day became a a bit more exciting…
The US Postal Service had been setup for quite a while now, and individuals began to mail their Valentines, rather than delivering them manually.
This meant that people could now send these Valentines anonymously, adding an exciting air of mystery to the day.
Valentine’s Day Goes Commercial
It was in 1847 when the first Valentines became commercially accessible.
Where?
In Worchester, Massachusetts.
A woman called Esther Howland started selling them, and soon set up a business called the Colonial Valentine Company. Her business rapidly grew in popularity, and it wasn't long before similar businesses appeared to be set up all over the world.
However, it had been only in the 1980’s that other industries really started to take advantage of everything Valentine’s Day needed to offer.
The jewelry industry in particular really gave it their all, heavily marketing diamonds to men, as the perfect gift to allow them to give their someone special on Valentine’s Day.
In digital age of the Twenty-first century, Valentine’s Day e-cards began replacing traditional cards, but Valentine’s Day grew even larger in popularity.
Valentine’s Week
As increasingly more businesses realized the financial potential of Valentine’s Day, they wanted to get just as much out of this holiday as you possibly can.
So, Valentine’s Week was conceived.
Never heard about it before?
It only really became popular in certain parts of the world.
What is Valentine’s Week?
Well, instead of celebrating all your family members on just one day's the year, Valentine’s Week encourages people to do that for the whole week.
In fact, the 7 days that lead as much as the 14th of February even have their own names, to help guide people with regards to sending Valentines:
- Rose Day – February 7th
- Propose Day – February 8th
- Chocolate Day – February 9th
- Teddy Day – February 10th
- Promise Day – February 11th
- Kiss Day – February 12th
- Hug Day – February 13th
- Valentine’s Day – February 14th
For people who love Valentine’s Day, then understanding that there is an entire week dedicated to love and Valentines should cause you to happy!
Has Valentine’s Day Become Too Commercialized?
Many would say that Valentine’s Day is becoming over-commercialized, and this is starting to put people off of the concept of celebrating the day.
Unfortunately, the commercial part of the day is one thing that will likely always remain.
Why?
Because billions of dollars are brought into the economy of countries all over the world for this reason day.
While that may be the situation, you and your loved ones don't need to subscribe to the commercial aspect of Valentine’s Day.
Instead, try to celebrate it in a more traditional way…
Traditional Ways to Celebrate Valentine’s Day
This year, ignore that e-card and the Amazon gift delivered to your loved one’s door.
If you need to truly celebrate the historic nature of Valentine’s Day, try some of these traditions instead:
- Bring out your romantic side and write the one you love a poem
- Send the one you love some pressed flowers you have picked yourself
- Host a Valentine’s Day Dinner and Dance Party for the friends and family
- Get creative making homemade cards and gifts for your friends and family
Valentine’s Day Round the World
While the Valentine’s Day options mentioned above may be traditional in terms of the USA, what about Valentine’s Day far away around the world?
Well, much like with everything else, each country has developed their own Valentine’s Day traditions.
While some might be similar to those who work in the united states, others are actually quite different…
Take South Korea for example. Here, there are three celebrations, one per month from February to April, for Valentine’s Day:
- February 14th – the women woo the men with cards, sweets and flowers
- March 14th – known as White Day, the boys woo the ladies with the same, but also have an additional gift
- April 14th – known as Black Day, this is a day for singles to mourn their singledom by dressing completely in black, meeting up with their friends, and eating bowls of noodles created using black bean paste
However, romance isn’t forgotten about throughout the year in South Korea…
The 14th of each month normally has some romantic connotations round the country, from Kiss Day in June to Hug Day in December.
Valentine’s Day is big in South Africa too…
Not will just you discover festivals and much more hosted around the country in celebration of the day, however the women also pin the names of their love interests on to their sleeves during the day. This is actually an ancient Roman tradition called Lupercalia, and is a means for men to discover who their secret admirers are.
In Wales, the Valentine’s Day gift which was traditionally given is one that lots of find incredibly romantic.
They are classified as love spoons, and date back to the 17th Century. Back then, as a way to show their love for a lady, men would carve them a more sophisticated wooden spoon. They'd carve different symbols and patterns in to the spoon, with every one using a meaning behind it.
Fortunately, love spoons are a tradition that haven’t died down. They're still commonly gifted in Wales, not just for Valentine’s Day but also for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries and births.
Love the thought of a love spoon?
You still have enough time to make one for your family member for this Valentine’s Day!
Wondering should there be any countries where Valentine’s Day isn’t just about love?
Yes, and Finland is the best illustration of this. Here, Valentine’s Day is called Friend’s Day. While romantic love continues to be celebrated, the holiday places an emphasis on love between friends.
On the alternative end of the scale, romantic love, and marriage in particular, is encouraged heavily on Valentine’s Day in the Philippines.
How?
Mass weddings are held throughout the country in public areas, with these events sometimes attracting thousands of people.
Why would someone want to be a part of a mass big event?
To start with, this means that you'll be getting married with only about everyone you realize by your side. Plus, these marriage ceremonies in many cases are government-sponsored, meaning that those who originate from under-privileged backgrounds get the chance to obtain married too.
Bring More Love into Your Life through the Year
Valentine’s Day is a great chance to show your loved ones simply how much they mean for you, but why limit this to simply one day annually?
Here are some suggestions to bring more love into your life throughout the year:
- Prioritize some time every week for you personally as well as your family member to invest together. Make sure that you spend this time actually getting together with one another, rather than just watching a film
- Try doing more fun activities together with your family member. Find something that you both enjoy, whether this may be fishing, biking, hiking, bird watching, or another type, and spend some time carrying this out together
- Try to in the romance in your relationship. Romantic notes every now and then will never go amiss, and a romantic weekend away together is a superb method to reignite that spark
Singles Awareness Day
Hate all the mushy romance that Valentine’s Day brings to the world?
Well, you’re not alone…
So lots of people all over the world feel the identical way, which is what led to the birth of Singles Awareness Day.
While many would believe that Singles Awareness Day would also be celebrated around the 14th of February, the date chosen with this day was really February 15th.
Why?
Because this meant that rather than Singles Awareness Day being about self-pity while couples were celebrating their love, it became about actually celebrating being single.
When you consider its origins and do a comparison to what the day has become now, you can easily understand why a lot of believe that Valentine’s Day has become too commercialized. However, instead of buying into this, try celebrating Valentine’s Day in a classical way, not only showing all your family members just how much you care, but also commemorating Saint Valentine in your own way.
