First things first: What exactly is being celebrated on Valentine's day?
Cupid came, saw, aimed – and suddenly everyone felt the need to celebrate love? Not really. Cupid, the Roman god of love, is still immortalised on gift cards and boxes of chocolates today, but he has little to do with the origins of Valentine's Day. The day is actually named after Saint Valentine of Rome, who married couples according to Christian rites in the 3rd century – despite it being forbidden at the time. So the 14th of February was originally a day of remembrance for the martyr.
Over the centuries, the meaning changed: the first Valentine's Day customs emerged in England, later spreading to the USA and, after the Second World War, to Germany and elsewhere. In many places, Valentine's Day began to boom for the first time thanks to increased advertising in the flower industry. Today, we focus on interpretation rather than tradition. Valentine's Day is no longer just for romantic love. It can be dedicated to all the people who enrich our lives.
Love without the pressure: Friendship
Did you know? In Finland, Valentine's day is called Ystävänpäivä! Literally translated, it means nothing more than ‘Friendship Day’. And that pretty much says it all. Because here, it's not (just) lovers who celebrate, but friends who celebrate each other: with flowers, chocolates and handwritten cards. In our opinion, a long overdue gesture!
Ideas for a Valentine's day with friends:
- Friendship playlist: Each person adds a few songs that they associate with their friendship – whether they are memories or inside jokes.
- A Valentine's Day picnic in the living room: blankets on the floor, candles lit, favourite snacks to nibble on! How about freeze-dried strawberry slices, oatmeal double cookies with dark chocolate filling or our chocolate pretzel snack?
- Shared vision board: What do you want to experience together this year? Travel, little rituals, more time?
Always at your side: Self-love
‘You have to love yourself before anyone else can’ – a phrase that has easily made its way onto countless walls and tattoos. And yes, self-love is important, meaningful and anything but a trend. Around Valentine's Day, however, it is often served up as a consolation prize for singles. Yet spending this day with yourself can be a conscious decision – completely independent of your relationship status. Our opinion: that very special person by your side deserves a little more love and affection all year round. February 14th is a pretty good time to start.
Ideas for a solo Valentine's day:
- Write yourself a love letter and open it the following years' Valentine's day
- A little scavenger hunt for your favourite things: in the morning, write a list of things you love right now – from oat cappuccino to a good book to your KoRo-favorites (*wink*). Your goal: tick off as many items as possible and make your day a little sweeter.
- Cook yourself something special, such as creamy beetroot pasta with vegan veta, make yourself comfortable on the sofa and binge-watch your favourite series. Sometimes that's all it takes.
Unconditional love: Family
Christmas and Easter are clearly family holidays. Birthdays are also often celebrated within the family circle. Why not Valentine's Day? After all, isn't love within the family, in the best case scenario, the kind that accompanies us from an early age – regardless of developments, stages of life or anything that may happen? When was the last time you told your siblings, parents and grandparents that you love them? Exactly.
How a family Valentine's day could look like:
- One menu, many cooks: From minestrone salad as a starter to a main course of vegan spinach dumplings with garlic butter and cupcakes with strawberry frosting for dessert – each person is responsible for one course.
- For the competitive family members: The whole thing can also be turned into a little competition by awarding points after the meal.
- A gift exchange without gifts: Similar to Secret Santa, names are drawn. A short, personal poem or a few kind words are written for that person and read aloud to the group. Better than any Valentine's Day gift!
Butterflies-in-the-stomach love: relationship
Have you been struck by Cupid's arrow (whether recently or some time ago) and would like to spend the day in the traditional way, together with your Valentine's date? Don't worry, we don't want to ignore your butterflies and have a few ideas for a unique day of love in this case too. Because let's be honest: even the thought of a simple visit to a restaurant as a Valentine's Day date is enough to make you yawn.
Ideas for a couples Valentine's day:
- Mocktail night with personality: Everyone mixes a drink for the other person, inspired by character traits. Cheerful and refreshing? Pomegranate and mint. Profound and adventurous? Orange kombucha.
- A creative evening together: make your own colours (e.g. with red cabbage, turmeric powder or spinach) and paint each other's (abstract) portraits.
Present ideas for Valentine's day
Teddy bears gather dust, the right words for love letters are not always easy to find, and flowers wilt after a week. Forget traditional Valentine's Day gifts! In our opinion, nothing says ‘I love you’ more than sharing snacks. The message: your love lasts even longer than our bulk packs! Everyone is guaranteed to love these Valentine's Day gifts – regardless of gender, age or taste!
Snacks to fall in love with:
- Gift boxeds with salted peanut or salted pistachio nut butter cups
Finally, one more thing: don't stress out on Valentine's Day 2026. Does the date 14 February mean nothing to you? That's fine too! You don't have to make big plans for this day or spend it in company. To spread a little love anyway, why not smile at a stranger on the street or pay them a compliment? Compliments are the best gift anyway (okay, maybe after our snacks)!
