Sweets, poems and the big love confession: There’s a lot to learn about Valentine’s Day in the USA. In this article you will find out how to celebrate February 14th in American style or how to survive it as a single unscathed.
The origin of Valentine’s Day
According to acronymmonster, there are different theories about the origin of Valentine’s Day. The only thing that is certain is that the Italian Church has something to do with it. On February 14th, St. Valentinus from Italy is remembered.
In the third century, Valentinus is said to have secretly carried out weddings for young couples in love, despite the ban on the Catholic religion, which is said to have ultimately led to his execution. There are, however, several variants of the story, each with different people and different outcomes.
The trend towards printed love poems related to Valentine’s Day did not emerge until much later in modern England. Many lovers themselves were unable to write melodious poems to convey their feelings. Therefore, they enlisted the help of authors and publishers.
We owe the final commercialization of the custom to the Americans and their mass printing of poetic Valentine’s cards. The Festival of Lovers has been one of the most popular holidays for Americans since the mid-19th century.
How do Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Nowhere in the world is Valentine’s Day celebrated as intensely as in the United States. Almost like at Christmas, the shops fill up weeks in advance with pink products for the festival of lovers.
The seriousness with which Americans celebrate this day should not be underestimated. If you want to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the USA, you have to stock up properly:
VALENTINE’S DAY SWEETS
Candy hearts
The basic equipment of Americans on Valentine’s Day includes the obligatory sugar hearts, also known as “conversation hearts”, in pastel colors with sweet embossing such as “Be mine”, “I <3 YOU” or “XOXO”.
Heart baking pan
Heart-shaped cakes and biscuits are a must in Valentine’s Day buffets, such as those that are common in schools in the USA. A heart baking pan or heart-shaped cookie cutters help here.
chocolates
Nicely wrapped pralines and chocolates are most often given away – either in person or anonymously as “Candygram”.
VALENTINE CARDS
homemade valentine cards
A successful Valentine’s Day in the USA stands or falls with a lovingly designed Valentine’s card. Homemade cards are of course the most beautiful.
Valentine cards from the professional
But the ready-selling Valentine cards from the pro sind not to be despised. Up to 200 million of these Valentine cards change hands in the US every year.
Joke valentine cards
The slightly slippery joke Valentine’s cards are particularly successful in the United States.
An attempt to explain it: Most Americans hold back with sexual innuendos for the rest of the year and therefore have to really crank that one day of the year.
VALENTINE’S DAY DECORATION
Love balloons
A romantic, kitschy Valentine’s Day dinner with your loved one is only perfect with the right decoration. In restaurants, this is usually done in abundance by the operators. For your home this set of love balloons might do the trick.
Heart socks
The right outfit is also part of the appropriate Valentine’s Day. The “underneath” often plays a more important role than the “above”.
At this point we could have shown a lot of beautiful items of laundry on well-formed bodies, but we decided on these highly erotic heart socks.
With a “Candygram” the Americans send their “Crush” a sign of admiration. The typical American combination of sweets and lovingly designed greeting cards can often be observed, especially in US schools, where the Candygram is delivered directly to the classroom.
Most lovers opt for the anonymous variant, so that the person they love does not find out who is in love with them.
MARRIAGE PROPOSAL ON VALENTINE’S DAY
Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days for marriage proposals in the United States. More than six million Americans are likely to fall to their knees on February 14th. At least that’s what an analysis by American Express suggests.
A VALENTINE TO EVERYONE YOU LOVE
Good news: Valentine’s Day isn’t just for victims of romantic love. The best friend, grandpa, teacher and favorite colleague from the office can and should receive a warm greeting on this day.
VALENTINE’S DAY HYPE IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS
American schoolchildren are growing up with the tradition of making and writing heaps of greeting cards for classmates, teachers and parents on Valentine’s Day.
An enormous hype is also generated in schools: in many places there is a Valentine’s Day dress code in pink, red and white, a Valentine’s Day buffet stocked by parents and a downright popularity competition – based on who gets the most Valentine cards.
WHAT DO AMERICANS DO ON VALENTINE’S DAY?
Whether with a crush, with your better half or with friends and family: the main thing on American Valentine’s Day is not to sit at home alone. These are common things to do in the United States:
Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner:
There are actually no rules here: cook your own, have it delivered or sit in the park with a picnic blanket – everything is allowed.
Watch romantic comedies or other films:
The big film studios and streaming services like to start their “Romantic Comedies” film and series on Valentine’s Day. On February 14th, there is something to smile about and fall in love with, both in the home theater and on the big screen.
Valentine’s Day Trip:
An extensive, cozy Valentine’s Day with the family is also very popular. The “Framily” (the substitute family made up of friends) can also be used for this.
Church visit on Valentine’s Day:
Many devout Americans go to church on Valentine’s Day, even though it’s not a religious holiday. Often times, Catholic communities offer special services with a blessing for lovers.
Anti-Valentine’s Day promotions:
Valentine’s Day can also be really annoying. If you don’t feel like kitsch or bad luck when looking for a partner, you can therefore join the anti-Valentine’s Day movement.
Valentine’s Day haters give each other ironic anti-gifts, inedible sweets and hate poems with bad-tempered messages. Karaoke evenings with anti-love songs and events with free entry for anyone who presents a photo of their ex-partner are also widespread.
Bargain shopping with Valentine’s Day discounts
Anyone who is fed up with the interpersonal aspects of Valentine’s Day can go online and buy some real cream: every brand that can be even remotely associated with human affection gives substantial discounts on Valentine’s Day.
It’s best to subscribe to the newsletters of your favorite brands two weeks in advance so as not to miss out on the good bargains.
