Have you ever wondered why chocolate is so strongly tied to love and how it came to be associated with Valentine’s Day?
To answer this, we have to go back in time! To begin, we can look to the vision of cacao the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica had.
Cacao is known as a medicine that can help bring an affected person out of depression, anxiety, and dissociation back to a balanced state in which they can feel love towards life. Not only that, but within some Mayan communities in Guatemala, it is still used as an elixir that is shared between bride and groom during marriage ceremonies. Cacao is known as a medicine that can bring harmony within the self and within relationships overall as well!
Fun fact: During the colonial era in Latin America, the Catholic church did its best to eradicate cacao from the scene due to rumors of the local women using it to enchant men.
It was also no secret that cacao is a mood booster and naturally brings pleasure to the one consuming it. Even rumors say Emperor Montezuma used cacao as an aphrodisiac by consuming exorbitant amounts of this delectable drink.
This may be why it began to become popular with the European people who arrived during the colonial era. Clearly, this exotic chocolate drink was highly regarded and had many different uses, one of them being to ignite passions and bring one into a state of love.
This takes us forward to the 1500s when the Europeans began taking cacao back to their homelands. It began to gain popularity and was consumed as drinking chocolate. By 1847 the first chocolate bar was made by J.S. Fry & Sons and then in 1868, John Cadbury made the first heart-shaped box specifically for Valentine’s Day!
Throughout history, saying ‘I love you’ on Valentine’s Day has been done through chocolate, and that tradition is not going anywhere!
So, following this worldwide tradition while also honoring the origins of cacao, we get to celebrate love with a lovingly prepared cup of ceremonial cacao.
Enjoying ceremonial cacao on Valentine’s Day will put you at the intersection of the modern way of expressing ‘I love you’ and the ancient way of bringing balance and love to life!
