Valentine's Day

The stories behind Valentine's Day are many and things differ depending on the time they arose. In the Catholic Church, at the end of the 5th century, Valentine began to be celebrated. In connection with the arrival of romance and love in the Middle Ages in the 14th century in England and France, Valentine's Day became a celebration for the young and in love. In the 19th century, it developed into printed Valentine cards.

According to one of the most popular stories, Saint Valentine was a Christian priest and martyr Saint Valentine who lived in Rome during the 2nd century and was killed by the Roman emperor Claudius II. The reason was that the emperor forbade marrying young couples in Christian weddings. Before he was executed, he managed to smuggle out a farewell letter to the jailer's daughter with whom he was very much in love, and which he ended with "your Valentine" before he was killed, which would be the first Valentine's letter and the origin of the custom of sending cards on this day.

In Sweden, it was not until the 1960s that Saint Valentine and Valentine's Day were celebrated on a larger scale. In 1956, Nordiska Kompaniet tried to launch the leap day on February 24 as All Hearts Day. Then women would court men. In 1957, NK moved All Hearts Day to Valentine's Day the same as the American tradition. In the 1990s, it spread in a wider perspective and the celebration took off. Since then it has become.

Why do we celebrate Valentine's Day?
Within the Roman Catholic Church, the commemoration of Saint Valentine has been celebrated since the 490s. Before Valentine's Day existed, a pagan fertility festival was held in Rome during mid-February, and the Catholic Church is believed to have chosen a date to coincide with the festival. The tradition was not established in the United States until the 1840s.

It was not until 1985 that Valentine's Day was entered into the Swedish calendar as a holiday. During the 1990s, the celebration became increasingly popular in Sweden, especially in schools. Today, Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world. Since then, the growth has been driven primarily by commercial actors rather than romance, and even in Sweden it was driven by trade, which is still clearly noticeable when you look at the sales of roses, cakes, teddy bears that are bought in record quantities in the days around February 14.

Do you have to celebrate Valentine's Day? It is not a must. But why not? Celebrating and spending time with those you love or care about a lot. You can congratulate whoever you want, yourself, a good friend or your parents, children and pets. You don't have to spend money. Do everything yourself like for example.

- Make a good breakfast, lunch or dinner
-Make your own paper flowers
-Do an activity you enjoy together
-Write a nice text to your loved ones or why not leave some words on the mirror?

What's good about Valentine's Day?

By giving small details and love, nice cards or spending time with your loved ones, you pay attention to those you like or love. Why not make a special day for yourself, a good friend or your parents, children and pets