Many of us will send a card to a loved one this Valentine’s Day, and may even stretch to chocolates and flowers. But do any of us know the original meaning behind this annual tradition or are we simply following the clever marketing from card and gift commercial properties?
Valentines Day, also recognised as Saint Valentine’s Day, is a day dedicated to celebrating love. It dates back to 496 AD and has traces of both ancient Romans and Christians. There are many different stories about where the tradition first started, but the most appropriate is about a man named Valentine who sent a love letter to a young woman and signed it, “From your Valentine,” which is a phrase still commonly used today.
With advertising for this day starting as soon as the Christmas decorations are down, it is no wonder that people feel obliged to follow in this tradition. Online card shops, such as Moon Pig and Funky Pigeon, are regularly featured on television promoting the thought of sending a card to your loved one, while retail commercial properties fill their shop windows with cards, teddy bears and chocolates; all designed to draw us in.
But do people only send a card to a loved one if they are in a relationship, or do single people still send mystery Valentine’s cards?
On average, Britain spends £503 million in commercial properties and online on Valentine’s cards and gifts, which are mainly flowers and chocolates. The average spend on a Valentine’s card is £2.17, which is highest spend on any card across the year. Christmas cards come in a close second at the average cost of £2.05.
However, it is not only card shops that cash in from Valentine’s Day. Many restaurant commercial properties put on set menus which usually consist of a two or three course meal. This may sound like it is saving you money, but by the time you have added the wine the price is well into double figures.
But as many of us expect a card from a loved one, is it such a bad thing that the card and restaurant industries cash in on this annual day? After all, they are helping the economy to recover.
