Conversation hearts, truffles galore and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates—these are the symbols of Valentine’s Day for many lovers around the world. But why do we have a “sweets to the sweet” tradition every February 14? While the roots of Valentine’s Day go all the way back to Roman times, candy gift giving is a much more recent development. Is it because of chocolate’s reputed aphrodisiac qualities, or just a way for candy companies to sell more sweets in the lull between Christmas and Easter? Whatever the reason, those ubiquitous little red boxes flood shelves every year, and this week we’re taking a look at the reasons why.
Valentine’s Day is actually named for two different Roman saints, both called Valentine and both utterly unconnected to romantic love. Though legend persists that the original St. Valentine was a priest who performed illegal marriages for the Emperor Claudius’ soldiers, there’s no evidence to suggest this ever happened. The first mention of St. Valentine’s Day as a romantic holiday appeared in the writings of Chaucer in 1382. With the medieval period came a new focus on illicit but chaste courtly love, and it is here that we see some of the familiar iconography begin to appear. Knights would give roses to their maidens and celebrate their beauty in songs from afar. But sugar was still a precious commodity in Europe, so there was no talk of exchanging candy gifts.
By the 1840s, the notion of Valentine’s Day as a holiday to celebrate romantic love had taken over most of the English-speaking world. It was Cupid’s golden age: The prudish Victorians adored the notion of courtly love and showered each other with elaborate cards and gifts. Into this love-crazed fray came Richard Cadbury, scion of a British chocolate manufacturing family and responsible for sales at a crucial point in his company’s history. Cadbury had recently improved its chocolate making technique so as to extract pure cocoa butter from whole beans, producing a more palatable drinking chocolate than most Britons had ever tasted. This process resulted in an excess amount of cocoa butter, which Cadbury used to produce many more varieties of what was then called “eating chocolate.” Richard recognized a great marketing opportunity for the new chocolates and started selling them in beautifully decorated boxes that he himself designed.
From that point, it was a quick jump to taking the familiar images of Cupids and roses and putting them on heart-shaped boxes. While Richard Cadbury didn’t actually patent the heart-shaped box, it’s widely believed that he was the first to produce one. Cadbury marketed the boxes as having a dual purpose: When the chocolates had all been eaten, the box itself was so pretty that it could be used again and again to store mementos, from locks of hair to love letters. The boxes grew increasingly elaborate until the outbreak of World War II, when sugar was rationed and Valentine’s Day celebrations were scaled down. But Victorian-era Cadbury boxes still exist, and many are treasured family heirlooms or valuable items prized by collectors
There are different stories relating to the Valentine Day. One of the most popular stories is that Valentine Day found in the third century in Rome. The emperor of Rome Claudius II was thought that single men are very much suitable and effective solders for the battles instead of those with wives and families. Claudius banned the army to marry. Saint Valentine realized this injustice and start to marriage of young solders. But when emperor came to know this violated action of Valentine he ordered for Valentine's death sentence. So February 14 is celebrated throughout the world for Valentine’s Day as Remember.
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Saint Valentine ko qaid mein rakha gia tha aur ise jelar ki beti se muhabbat ho gayi thi. Marne se pehle Saint Valentine ne apni muhabbat ka izhar aik khat mein kia tha. 14 February ko Saint Valentine ko sazaye maut day di gayi. Muhabbat aur izhar muhabbat ke unwan se manaye jane wale din, Saint Valentine day ke moqay par yun to gift aur flowers ka tabadlah kia jata hai, mukhtalif mamalik mein baqaidah taqribaat ka bhi ahtamam kia jata hai, tahum rawaiti tqribaat ke sath sath kahin kahin yeh din anokhey aur bare hi dil chasp andaz se bhi manaya jata hai. Yeh din manane ke kuch munfarid andaz dekhye. Japan mein Valentin’s Day ke moqe par sirf khawateen apne sathiyon ke liye chocolate khareedti hain. Yeh japan ki aik purani rawayat hai, jis mein khawateen apne mard sathiyon ke liye chocolate pesh karti hain. Is din kay theek 1 month ke baad white day ke naam se aik aur din manaya jata hai jis mein mard hazrat khawateen ko chocolate gift mein dete hain. Danmark mein Valentin’s Day par aik dil chasp khel khela jata hai. Yeh chupa hua aashiq talash karne ka khel kehlata hai, jise moqami zuban mein Gaekkebrev kaha jata hai. Is khel mein larkiayan aur larke muhabbat ke unwan se nazmein likhte hain, lekin in nazmon par apna naam darj nahi karte balkeh noqte daal kar alamti signature kar dete hain, jin mein in ke naam poshidah hote hain. Maghrabi mamalik mein Valentin’s Day samaji bhalayi ke unwan se manane ka rawaj bhi paya jata hai. Infaradi aur ijtamayi satah par ghareeb, be sahara aur muashre ke pise huye afrad ko gift pesh kiye jate hain. Yeh tehwar Pakistan men bhi, khasoosan big cities mein josh o kharosh se manaya jata hai, aur yeh karobari lehaz se bhi bari ahmiyat rakhta hai. Is din ki wajah se flowers ki farokht khasoosan red rose ki selling meIs din ki wajah se kum aamdani wala tabqah bhi khushyan manata hai. Is din ki maqboolyat raftah raftah itni barh chuki hai keh shadi ke khuahish mand kayi jore is mahine mein khasoosan 14 February ko shadi karne ki aarzu rakhte hain, jis ki wajah se shadi halls ki advance booking karwani parti hai aur izafi raqam bhi kharch karni parti hai. Is mein koi shak nahi keh Valentin’s Day hamari moqami saqafat ka hissah nahi, lekin nojawan nasal mein is ki barhti huyi maqboolyat hum se is baat ka taqaza karti hai keh is din ke masbat pehlo ujagar kiye jayein. in numayan izafah nazar aata hai. Is ke elawa tady bears, cards aur mukhtalif qisam ki chocolate ki frokht bhi barh jati hai. |
