Here’s what we know about the origins of the day of love, friendship and consumption in the context of history:

The modern celebration of Valentine’s Day arrived in Finland in the 1980s, introduced salesmen.

“An increasingly international Finland became enthusiastic about red hearts, sweet little gifts and Valentine’s Day cards, and the day gradually became established as part of our winter celebration traditions,” notes the delightfully informative yet compact book Ajan tasalla: suomalainen kalenteri tänään (Up to Date: Finnish Calendar Today) by Onerva Ollila, Asko Palivainen and Minna Saarelma-Paukkala from the Almanac Office of the University of Helsinki. Published in 2019, it is one of the most recent reference books about the Finnish calendar and its traditions.

It’s been years since I opened this book, but to honor the day, I decided to pull it out.

Here are a few tidbits:

• Valentine’s Day first appeared unofficially in the almanac in 1989–1991, but it wasn’t until 1996 that the University of Helsinki considered it so well established that it was permanently included.
• In Finland, Valentine’s Day differs from many other countries in that it celebrates both romantic love and comradely friendship.
• Various commercial Valentine’s Day offers are more common than not: sometimes pink products are highlighted, other times experiences like “two for the price of one” or “half price for a friend” are promoted.

Brands like Fazer tap into this core concept of celebrating love and friendship. Their heart-shaped Geisha confectionery box features delicious chocolate with phrases such as “Thank you” and “Love you” on the cover.

There were only a few “Love you” boxes left at a local store in Helsinki when I visited yesterday.