Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
February 2019
Valentine’s Day postcard from around 1936
Historical Context
Contrary to popular belief, February 14 is not a money-making concept invented by florists and chocolatiers. In fact, the history of Valentine’s Day dates back hundreds of years; however, there is disagreement regarding its exact origin. It is certain that it did not originate, as often assumed, from the USA. According to one explanation, the custom emerged in the third century in what was then the Roman Empire – Bishop Valentine of Terni is said to have Christianly married lovers despite a prohibition and subsequently gifted them flowers from his garden. The marriages he officiated were also believed to be particularly blessed. Because of his Christian faith, Bishop Valentine was eventually beheaded on the 14th of February. This story already provided the idea for the custom in ancient times, yet in Germany, Valentine’s Day did not immediately catch on as a day for lovers. It took a true migration story for this to change – leaving the European continent, British emigrants brought the custom to the New World, where it eventually developed into a mass phenomenon in the 20th century. After World War II, the tradition was reintroduced to Germany by US soldiers. The first Valentine’s Ball was held in Nuremberg in 1950. Valentine’s Day was soon officially established and evolved with the decades into what it is today.
Short biography
Ebeling Johannes Veenhuis was born on December 26, 1929, in Rockaway Park, N.Y., as the son of German parents. A few months earlier, his mother and father had met in Germany and decided to emigrate to the USA. After the Great Depression in 1929/30, Johannes’ parents also faced economic difficulties that made it hard for them to care for their child. For this reason, they sent their two-year-old son in 1931 to the care of his aunt in Papenburg, Lower Saxony. Johannes grew up there, attended school, and completed his apprenticeship. After the end of the war in 1945, his grandfather advised him to leave the war-torn Germany. In 1947, Johannes returned to the USA and saw his parents for the first time in 15 years. However, the stay was not meant to last: during a vacation in Germany, he met his future wife Hanna and decided in 1953 to return permanently to Germany to marry Hanna and build a shared life together.
Significance of the object
Before Valentine’s Day became a tradition in Germany in the 1950s, Johannes received this Valentine’s greeting from his parents in the USA. Despite the great distance, the small family remained in active contact. This personal memento illustrates that migration involves not only a change of location but also an openness to new customs, traditions, and holidays. In the case of the Veenhuis family, this included celebrating Valentine’s Day, and their greeting card even managed to bring the tradition across the ocean to Papenburg. Unlike what is often assumed today, Valentine’s Day is not limited exclusively to couples in love. As the parents describe in their greeting, February 14 is “[…] meant for the dearest ones you have.” Whether family, friends, pets, or oneself – that is up to personal preference.
Do you also …
… have a story of emigration or immigration in your family to tell and would like to pass it along with the related objects and documents to the Deutsches Auswandererhaus for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau at the phone number 0471 / 90 22 0 – 0 or by email at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de
Archive: Previous Objects of the Month
Show all objectsDo You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de