It's finally here, the day of love - Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day, St. Valentine's Day... There are many names for this dear child, but in Sweden the most common name is Valentine's Day.
Saint Valentinus has been celebrated since the late 4th century in the Catholic Church. The romantic connection arose in 14th century England and France. Valentine's Day became a feast for lovers. A custom of writing love letters with poems to one's loved one emerged in the Middle Ages and developed in the 19th century into printed Valentine cards.
There are stories that St. Valentine was a priest in Rome in the 2nd century who defied Emperor Claudius II's ban on marrying young couples. For this he was martyred, but before he was executed he smuggled out a card to the jailer's daughter with whom he was in love - the first Valentine's card.
In Sweden, Valentine's Day was not widely celebrated until the 1960s. In 1985, Valentine's Day was publicly listed in Swedish calendars, and in the 1990s the celebration took off.
According to Svensk Handel, four out of ten Swedes celebrate Valentine's Day. Common ways to celebrate are going to restaurants and buying gifts. The average Valentine's Day celebrant spends around SEK 500. We ask ourselves, can we perhaps celebrate in a different way than with boxes of chocolate, jelly hearts and expensive restaurant visits?
Sustainable declarations of love
Valentine's Day is undeniably a day of commerce and it's nice to have cute gifts, beautiful flowers and romantic restaurant visits. But surely we could think more sustainably when planning our declarations of love?
How about a cozy vegetarian and/or locally produced dinner at home with your sweetheart, best friend or family? Create nice Valentine's Day greetings electronically, give a more sustainable flower than a bouquet of roses, why not a beautiful potted plant that will remind you of your love for much longer?
Chocolate and bubbles are very common on this day and who doesn't love chocolate and bubbles? Preferably in combination! Remember to buy FairTraid or Krav labeled chocolate and organic wine. Then more people will benefit from your declaration of love.
Positive proximity and interaction with other people affects our well-being and is important for health. So our top tip is simply to surround yourself with the person or people who make you feel good. What you do together is less important and remember that a warm hug can be worth much more than a bouquet of roses.
With that we wish you a great Valentine's Day, take care of each other!
Sources:
Wikipedia
Swedish trade
