Valentine’s Day has gone from being a Christian feast commemorating a martyr to being an international holiday celebrating romantic love, often with gifts – red roses and chocolates come to mind, as well as shopfronts filled with red and pink heart-themed goods. The holiday sees some of the biggest holiday spending of the year, with partners and admirers showering their chosen ones with romantic and often expensive tokens of affection. Let’s dive into the history of the holiday, the way it’s celebrated around the world today and its commercial impact.
Origins of Valentine’s Day
Saint Valentine, the namesake of Valentine’s Day, was a priest from Rome in the 3rd century who was condemned to death for evangelizing. 14 February was the date of his execution and was later established as the day of the Feast of Saint Valentine in Christianity. Some legends say that he secretly performed Christian weddings for couples, and a later embellishment also mentions a letter he wrote to a woman before his execution, signed “Your Valentine”. However, the saint wasn’t associated with romantic love until the 14th century.
The traditions related with modern-day Valentine’s Day were first described by Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English literature, in his poem Parlement of Foules. Historians have concluded that this was the first mention of the day having any special meaning for lovers, and therefore Chaucer is considered to be the creator of this myth and tradition. Since then, the day has transformed from a religious observance into a celebration of romantic love.
How Valentine’s Day Changed Over the Decades
In the modern era, Valentine’s Day is a day to give roses and chocolates to your loved ones and do something romantic together. Stores are full of heart-themed holiday merch, all in shades of pink and red. But the traditions haven’t always been the same, and they still aren’t universal.
In the mid-20th century, Valentine’s Day was considered a lot more personal and intimate, with a focus on handwritten cards, flowers and chocolates. It was also a holiday mostly just celebrated in Western countries. Then with globalization, it spread to the rest of the world in the 1990s-2000s, mostly because Hollywood movies, MTV and later the Internet acted as a large-scale multiplicator of Western culture. Gifts also became more mass-produced and commercial, which is a trend that has continued to today. Now, social media also plays a large role, as gifts and dates are often shown off in curated photos and videos to friends and followers. At the same time, people have become increasingly critical of the commercialization of love that the tradition encourages. Some couples are opting out of the gift economy to instead prioritize time spent together. Alternatives to Valentine’s Day have also been popping up, such as the recently popularized Galentine’s Day for celebrating female friendship.
Cultural Differences in Celebrating Valentine’s Day
While it has become a global event, Valentine’s Day can look quite different in different parts of the world. The most popular cultural imaginings of the day are based on the North American tradition, with its strong commercial and romantic focus, typically with men giving gifts to women. Kids are also encouraged to take part in the holiday from a young age, with schools often organizing exchanges of cards, letters and heart-shaped candies known as ‘sweethearts’.
In Western Europe, the traditions are fairly similar. Countries such as France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria have a strong emphasis on romance and more high value, luxury gifts such as expensive dinners and jewelry. Germany and the Nordics tend to have more low-key celebrations, where it’s not as commercialized. In Eastern Europe, it’s a relatively new tradition but considered very important for young couples – gifts are highly valued and flowers are indeed very important. It’s a bit controversial in Russia, where the state tries to label it as a Western import, but younger generations generally still celebrate it.
In Finland and Estonia, the day is more commonly known as Friendship Day. While couples will still commonly celebrate it similarly to the rest of Europe, it is also a day to celebrate platonic love and show friends your appreciation.
Some Asian countries have developed their own specific traditions related to Valentine’s Day. In Japan and South Korea, 14 February is a day for women to give chocolates to men, while men return the favor on “White Day” on 14 March. South Koreans also celebrate Black Day on 14 April, which is a holiday for singles – traditionally, single people will come together to eat a specific dish of noodles. China has a similar Singles Day tradition on 11 November, which is China’s (and the world’s) biggest e-commerce sales day. China also has its own day of celebrating romantic love on the Qixi Festival day, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, to rival Valentine’s Day – currently, both are commonly celebrated.
Valentine’s Day has been less popular in regions like the Middle East and India, where Islam and Hinduism have dominating roles in society and the holiday with its Christian roots is sometimes deemed a negative foreign influence. In some more conservative nations, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, Valentine’s Day celebrations have been banned in the past, although it is becoming more accepted now. Valentine’s Day sales have seen especially large growth in the UAE and Saudi Arabia in recent years.
The Economics of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has become one of the most profitable holidays of the year, especially for flower, candy or jewelry retailers and restaurants, but anyone who can make their products heart-themed has a chance at getting a serious bump in profits. Spending has increased year after year, with an expected $27.5 billion to be spent in the US alone in 2025, or an average of $188.81 per shopper. 56% of US consumers plan to celebrate.
On the other side of the pond, Germany is expecting a record €1.3 billion to be spent this Valentine’s Day, with 28% of consumers planning to make a purchase. The most popular categories are food, flowers and gift vouchers. In France, 36% plan to celebrate, with the top three gifts being flowers, perfume and chocolates and the average gift budget per person is €154. While US spending is still the highest per-capita, we can see consumer behavior in other countries steadily following their lead.
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A shift in purchasing behavior globally can be seen with digital gifts (like vouchers) and gifted experiences becoming popular beside the traditional roses and chocolates. For example, online travel searches for Valentine’s Day were up 15% in 2024 compared to the previous year. As with all other shopping holidays, e-commerce has become an essential part of Valentine’s Day, with 40% of Americans planning to shop online – in Asia, that number is up to 80%.
In conclusion, though we might complain about the over-commercialization of Valentine’s Day, people still love to shower their loved ones with gifts on this holiday. Whether you’re single and want to treat yourself, feel like showing appreciation to your friends or want to spend a romantic day with your significant other, you’re likely to wander into a store and buy a heart-shaped box of chocolates sooner or later. Maybe it’s not what Saint Valentin imagined his name would be associated with 1700 years later, but hopefully he would see the beauty in being a symbol of love for people all over the world.
