Indonesia
Tradition of Eating Chocolate on Valentine
Every year, some people celebrated Valentine’s Day or Affection Day on February 14th. Some people traded gift of heart-shaped chocolates. Actually, when did the tradition of celebrating Valentine’s Day with chocolate start?
Many people believed that valentine day began with a romantic tale of a priest named Valentine. Valentine day as the day to celebrate affection was first discovered in 1382. During that time, there was a tradition among soldiers to give a present and roses to love ones.
At that time sugar was still a very expensive product in Europe, thus considered luxurious object, thereby preventing the tradition or even talk about exchanging gifts.
Finally in the 1840s, valentine day was celebrated as the day of showing affection in most of English speaking areas. The royals of the Victorian era celebrated love through greeting cards and gifts. At that time Richard Cadbury, a businessman who came from a chocolate factory owner family has a major role in the marketing of chocolate company.
Cadbury developed a technique of chocolate making so it can extract kakao and produce chocolate powder much more than the consumption of every Englishmen that time. the process resulted in thick liquid chocolate supply. This was the beginning of Cadbury producing the chocolate we eat to this day.
Cadbury saw a marketing opening for this new kind of chocolate and began selling it in box packing decorated with a variety ornament of his own design. Cadbury decorated box of chocolates with cupid image and make a heart-shaped box packaging. Although Cadbury did not patent the heart-shaped box, it is believed that he was the first to make this box.
Cadbury threw the heart-shaped box to market with two benefits. When the chocolate was eaten up, the box can be used to store many memorabilia. This box was very popular to the dawn of WW II.
Up until today, Valentine day is closely attached to the tradition of eating chocolate packed in various box and heart shaped ornaments. For Superkids and Superfamilies who celebrate it, have you prepare gifts for love ones on this Valentine Day?
NURUL L. IRFAN (Various Sources)
PHOTOS: 123RF
