What is the origin of giving Valentine's Day chocolate in a box ?
Valentine chocolates in a box began in 1868 when John Cadbury (1802 - 1889), an English confectioner in Birmingham, England, packed and marketed the first box of chocolate candies, which was lavished with decorations in the sentimental Victorian style. This first box of chocolates consisted of hand-painted images of Cadbury's daughter with her pet kitten. This led to the Valentine's Day chocolate box innovation in 1870, when Cadbury introduced the first heart-shaped box of chocolates specifically created for Valentine's Day. He continued to add hand-painted images of his children on the box, as well as adding plump cupids shooting arrows of love, which was a tradition of the Victorians in England for the cards that they created. He also added flowers as well as scenes from holiday journeys. After the Valentines Day chocolate was eaten, they were used as trinket boxes and button boxes by the Victorians. Vicroan and later Edwardian Valentine's Day chocolate boxes later became valuable collector's items after they stopped being made during World War II.
Since that time, boxes containing Valentines Day chocolate have been adorned with artistic designs, sometimes kitschy art together with a velvety material covering, all in the color red. Over time, heart-shaped chocolates were created and together with the Valentine's Day chocolate boxes, have since sold millions every year in North America and overseas.
Today, there is a growing demand for high-end Valentine chocolates. Artisan chocolatiers have met this challenge head-on and have been designing modern-looking chocolates while maintaining traditional Valentine's Day chocolate symbols, such as using splashes of red as well as heart shapes for the chocolates.
Why do we give fancy boxes of Valentine's Day chocolate ?
Well, the simple answer is because chocolate is sweet, which symbolically is akin to what we think of the person who is receiving the chocolates. However, some people think that chocolate is an aphrodesiac. Still other people trace the giving of fancy boxes of chocolate on Valentine's Day to the fact that chocolate was an expensive and highly-valued commodity in the 1800's, and so this was a way of showing how much the receiver of the chocolate was appreciated. Finally, others claim that it is a clever marketing scheme designed by confectioners to create additional sales between the seasonal lull from Christmas to Easter. Whatever the reason, the final result is that Valentine's Day chocolates are a fabulous and delectable way to say "You're Sweet!" to that special person.
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