Valentine's Dark Orgins

Although it is now associated with love and affection, kisses and hugs, chocolates and flowers, Valentine’s Day was originally a day of death. Two men, both by the name of St. Valentine, were executed on February 14 in different years during the 3rd century A.D. by Emperor Claudius ll. Their deaths were honored in the Catholic church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. The transition from this dark day of death to this serotine-saturated holiday can be attributed to writers of the coming decades, including Shakespeare and Chaucer, romanticizing the day in their pieces.

As their work gained popularity in Britain and throughout the rest of Europe, people started to make paper cards as “tokens-de-jour” (or tokens of the day) to commemorate the special day. As the tradition made its way to America, businesses picked up on this economic opportunity, thus giving us beloved Hallmark. In 1913, Hallmark Cards began mass producing and distributing Valentine’s Day cards. From then on, the holiday became big business. Valentine’s Day sales in 2020 topped twenty-seven billion dollars in the United States. 
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Whether you’ll be receiving flowers from your special someone, chocolates from your grandma, or celebrating in a S.A.D. (that is Singles Awareness Day) way, here at WLTL we all celebrate in the same way-- music! From breakup songs we’ve all cried to in our car to upbeat love ballads, we have it all. And look no further than our playlist to find a mix of every love song imaginable. Happy Valentine’s Day from WLTL!