Why Do Women Give Chocolate on Valentine’s Day in Japan?
Why Do Women Give Chocolate on Valentine’s Day in Japan? | The 2,000 Year Story From Rome to Tokyo From a Roman Execution to Japanese Chocolate Why do women give chocolate to men on Valentine’s Day in Japan? The answer is not chocolate. Not romance. Not even tradition. It’s a 2,000 year journey that begins in ancient Rome and quietly transforms into one of the most successful marketing cultures in modern history. The Day That Started With an Execution Valentine’s Day did not begin as a sweet celebration. It began inside a prison cell. In the 3rd century Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius II believed unmarried men made better soldiers. So he banned marriage entirely. Love was seen as a distraction from war. But one priest, Valentinus, refused to obey. He secretly performed weddings at night, helping young couples marry in hidden rooms lit by candles. He was arrested. And on February 14, he was executed. Before his death, legend says he wr...