Origins of Valentine's Day: from Cupid to Chaucer
Fox News spoke with year-round love expert Nikki Lewis to learn more about this heart-filled holiday. Lewis is the co-founder of BEVY, a personalized matchmaking service located in New York and California, and explained that while the theories surrounding Valentine's Day are murky, the stories behind them help contribute to the Valentine's Day holiday. February that we celebrate today.
Every year for Valentine's Day, lovers around the world go all out for their loved ones.
From traditional flowers or chocolate to more expensive gifts like diamonds, the holiday is as much about spending your hard-earned money as it is about love.
“Valentine's Day is returning to its romantic traditions, and total spending on significant others for the holiday is expected to reach a record $14.2 billion in 2024,” according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation. and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
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Consumer spending on Valentine's Day this year is expected to surpass the holiday's second-highest all-time spending, reaching a record $25.8 billion, according to data from the National Retail Federation (NRF).
This expected increase of $1.9 billion from the previous year's $23.9 billion spending marks a significant increase in Valentine's Day consumerism.
So if you're feeling the pressure to get your partner the perfect V-Day gift, it's probably because the marketing of the holiday is capitalist by design.
Red roses are often given to loved ones on Valentine's Day. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Is Valentine's Day materialistic?
Whether one perceives Valentine's Day as materialistic depends on personal beliefs and values.
Some may choose to celebrate the day with meaningful, non-material gestures, while others may embrace the tradition of exchanging gifts as a way to express love. The key is to achieve a balance between the material expressions and the emotional essence of the celebration.
According to Forbes, the economic issues surrounding holidays like Valentine's Day divert attention from human relationships, possibly weakening other forms of social interaction.
So while Valentine's Day may be a traditional holiday of romance, there's nothing accidental about its tendency to hit your pocketbooks.
What are the origins of Valentine's Day?
There is much speculation and mystery about the true identity of Valentine's Day and the exact origins of the holiday, but it appears to be a combination of Christian and some pagan traditions.
The Roman Catholic Church recognizes different Christian martyrs who were executed while trying to practice their faith or help persecuted prisoners.
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In one legend, Valentine acts as a priest in ancient Rome, secretly performing marriages for young lovers after Emperor Claudius II forbade young men from marrying in the city so they could remain in his army, according to History.com.
After Valentine's actions were discovered, the emperor sentenced him to death and beheaded him.
Another legend suggests that Valentine was imprisoned for his beliefs and sent a letter to a young girl signed “from your Valentine,” inspiring the tradition of sending love notes on this day, notes History.com.
While the exact details behind the individual's identity are mysterious and lack concrete historical records, most stories about the holiday's namesake seek to portray him as a romantic and heroic figure during Christian persecution by the Romans.
Valentine's Day has become a celebration of love and affection marked by the exchange of cards, flowers and tokens of affection. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?
The association of Valentine's Day with romantic love dates back to the Middle Ages, when the notion of courtly love flourished. Over time, the day evolved into a celebration of love and affection marked by the exchange of cards, flowers, and tokens of affection.
Today, it is a widely celebrated and commercialized occasion to express love and appreciation.
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Modern Valentine's Day became more popular in Britain during the 17th century, with the tradition of writing letters to emphasize an individual's affection for their lover. Printing technology that emerged in the early 20th century helped popularize its influence throughout the English-speaking world.
However, the origins of how Valentine's Day became a major commercial holiday apparently date back to the United States.
While the practice of giving Valentine's greeting cards was a centuries-old tradition in England, where the holiday was born, it was not until Valentine's Day was “rejuvenated” in the United States in the mid-19th century that it saw its commercial boom. , according to the Library of Congress.
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At first, the Old World celebration was “often forgotten” and “easily neglected” by Americans. Things took a turn in the 1840s, when the holiday became something “not to be missed,” according to author Leigh Eric Schmidt. he wrote in the 1995 book, “Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Vacations.”
Merchants outside the card industry, such as jewelers, florists and bakers, eventually joined the bandwagon.
Valentine's Day may be a traditional holiday associated with romance, but there's nothing accidental about its tendency to hit your wallet. (iStock)
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“When merchants rediscovered the [holiday]”the former transformed the latter, and not the other way around, as merchants systematically extended the apparatus of the market into the realm of celebration,” Schmidt wrote.
However, while companies did not create the holiday or some of its traditions, they certainly took advantage of it. The most popular shopping destination last year was the online marketplace, visited by 41% of all Valentine's shoppers, followed by department stores (33%), discount stores (31%) and florists (31%). 17%), according to the NRF.
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Sweets (57%), greeting cards (40%), flowers (39%), an evening out (32%) and jewelry (22%) remain some of the most popular purchases.
Philip Nieto and Kerren Keith Gaynor contributed to this article.
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