The History of Valentine’s Gifts

by Nicole Willis

How Three Valentine’s Day Staples Came to Be

Valentine’s Day– the holiday that all of us know and some of us love. During this time, people often give their loved ones gifts to express their love. There are a variety of traditional gifts that are commonly given to family, friends and lovers on Valentine’s Day. Gifts like red roses, heart-shaped chocolate boxes and conversation hearts are things you may have purchased a loved one--but do you know why these are the default V-Day gifts? Here are a few things that you may not know about three common Valentine’s gifts.

Nothing Says “I Love You” Like a Lozenge

Whether you love them or hate them, these little candy hearts with cute messages have become a staple sweet of the Valentine’s holiday. What you may not know about these chalky treats is that they were originally created to be medicinal lozenges.

The history of conversation hearts began with Boston pharmacist Oliver Chase in the 1840s. Medici nal lozenges were a popular remedy for sore throats, but they took a lot of time and work to make. To make this process simpler, Chase developed a machine that could quickly and easily make the lozenges.

As candies have a similar texture to lozenges, Chase soon began to make hard candies on the machine as well. This machine ended up becoming the first candy machine made in the US, as well as the first candy machine to create Necco wafers, which Chase would later sell under the business name Necco (New England Confectionery Company).

As for the cute sayings on the candies, Oliver’s brother is responsible. It is said that Daniel Chase first put the loving messages on the candy hearts in 1866, with the first one reading “married in white, you have chosen right.”

It’s All Rosy

One very popular symbol associated with Valentine’s Day and love is the rose. People all over the world buy roses for their loved ones on this holiday– whether it’s a pastel pink rose for their mom, a yellow rose for their best friend or a rich red rose for their lover; roses are a simple way to show your love on Valentine’s Day and every day.

The idea that roses symbolize love first began with Greek and Roman mythology. In Greek lore, Aphrodite is the goddess of love and beauty, and in Roman lore, Venus is the goddess of love and beauty. Both of these goddesses are often associated with the red rose. Aphrodite is said to have named the flower after her son, Eros. Since both of these goddesses are so strongly associated with love, the rose is tied to love as well. Today roses are the most popular flower to give on Valentine’s Day, with over 250 million being produced for the holiday worldwide.

So Sweet!

We all love unwrapping a beautiful heart-shaped box of chocolates from our loved ones on Valentine’s Day. Have you ever wondered how the sweet treat came to be? Well, this cute and delicious Valentine’s tradition started with the champions of candy– Cadbury.

Richard Cadbury, son of Cadbury founder, John Cadbury, and the mastermind behind the iconic heart-shaped chocolate box. Richard created the boxes to stand out among the other boxes of chocolates on the shelves. So, he took advantage of the Valentine’s Day iconography– cupids, hearts, and roses– and designed heart-shaped boxes that featured all of these things. Cadbury’s first heart-shaped chocolate box was created for Valentine’s Day in 1861.

The boxes were a success and have remained a Valentine’s Day favorite ever since. People preferred Cadbury’s boxes over other chocolates because the beautiful box could be reused for trinkets after the chocolate was gone. Cadbury’s creation of the heart-shaped chocolate box lives on today; these boxes can be purchased at almost every grocery store across the country. Thanks to Cadbury, chocolate has become a Valentine’s Day staple. Today, Americans purchase over 58 million pounds of chocolate for Valentine’s Day every year.