Saint Valentinus has been celebrated since the end of the 400s within the Catholic Church. The romantic connection originated in 13th century England and France. Valentine’s Day became a feast for love. A custom of writing love letters with poems to your love arose during the Middle Ages and developed during the 19th century into printed Valentine’s cards.
There are stories that say that St. Valentin was a priest in Rome during the twentieth century who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on marriage of young couples. For this, he had to suffer the martyr death, but before he was executed, he smuggled out a card to the prison guard’s daughter whom he was in love with – The First Valentine’s Card.
In Sweden, celebrations did not occur to any great extent until the 1960s. In 1985, Valentine’s Day was public in Swedish calendars and during the 1990s the celebration took off.
Four out of ten Swedes celebrate Valentine’s Day. Common ways to celebrate are to go to a restaurant and buy presents. The average Valentine’s Day celebrator spends around 500 SEK. We ask ourselves; can we perhaps celebrate in a different way than with chocolate boxes, jelly hearts and expensive restaurant visits?
Sustainable declarations of love
Valentine’s Day is undoubtedly a commercial day and certainly it is nice with cute presents, beautiful flowers and romantic restaurant visits. But surely, we could think more sustainably when planning our declarations of love!
How about a nice vegetarian and/or locally produced dinner at home with your sweetheart, best friend or family? Create beautiful greetings electronically, give away a more sustainable flower than a bouquet of roses, why not a beautiful potted plant that reminds your partner of your love for much longer?
Chocolate and bubbles are very common on this day, and who doesn’t love chocolate and bubbles? Certainly, in combination! Consider buying FairTraid- or Eco-labelled chocolate and organic wine. Then more people win on your declaration of love.
Positive closeness and interaction with other people affect our well-being and is important for our health. So, our best tip is simply to surround yourself with the one or those who make you feel good. What you do is less important and remember that a warm hug can be worth much more than a bouquet of roses.
We wish you a beautiful Valentine’s Day, take care of each other!
