By TR Robertson
On February 14th, people around the world will be coming up with a variety of ideas on how to show their special someone’s how much they love them. Most people have no idea why we celebrate this day or the facts and trivia associated with Valentine’s Day. Here is a bit of information about this special day that will enlighten and amuse you – maybe even provide a little dinner conversation between you and your significant other.
• The celebration of Valentine’s Day can be traced back as far as a Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then stay with the young woman for a year as his partner.
•
Other stories say the day is to celebrate Saint Valentinus, who performed weddings for soldiers who were not allowed to be married by an order from Roman Emperor Claudius II. In 270 A.D., Valentinus defied the order and performed secret marriages. Upon discovery, Valentinus was executed. While in jail, he is said to have fallen in love with the jailor’s daughter and passed her a note which was signed, “From your Valentine”. He was supposedly buried on February 14th.
• Julia, the jailor’s daughter, is said to have planted an almond tree with pink blossoms near his grave, today the almond tree is a symbol of lasting friendship and love.
• Pope Gelasius established Valentine’s Day in A.D. 500.
• The name Valentine is derived from a Latin word meaning valor.
• In the Middle Ages, young men and women would draw names from a bowl to see who their valentine would be. They would wear these names on the sleeves for one week, hence the saying “wearing your heart on your sleeve”.
• In the Middle Ages, it was said if you were single you would marry the first single member of the opposite sex you met on Valentine’s Day.
• Also, in Medieval times girls ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine’s Day.
• The heart being associated with love was not common until the Italian and French artists popularized this idea during the Renaissance in their paintings.
• According to Welsh traditional tales, a child born on Valentine’s Day would have many lovers, a calf born on Valentine’s Day would be of no use for breeding, and hen’s eggs laid on Valentine’s Day would turn out rotten.
• In 1537, England’s King Henry VII officially declared Feb. 14 the holiday of St. Valentine’s Day.
• During the 1700’s in England, a girl would pin four bay leaves on her pillow and eat a hardboiled egg, including the shell, on Valentine’s Day. If she dreamed of a boy that night, she would soon marry this boy.
• British children in the 18th and 19th centuries would celebrate Valentine’s by going door-to-door singing songs and begging for cake or money.
• In Victorian times, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s card.
• In Germany, girls would plant onions in a pot and next to the onions place the names of different boys. The first onion to grow with the boy’s name next to that onion would be the boy the girl should marry. Also in Germany, pigs are considered a symbol of luck and pig tokens are exchanged on Valentine’s Day.
• Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day for sending cards, Christmas is #1.
• There are approximately 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards exchanged every year in the U.S. alone
• Approximately 145 million Valentine’s cards are mailed.
• Every year, 36 million heart shaped boxes of hard candy are sold.
• For 2022, 16 new sayings were added to the hard candy – for example, Crush It, High Five, Way 2 Go, Proud of You, Youda Best, Fearless, Super Star, Don’t Quit, Be You, and Go 4 It. 21 new sayings were added in 2021.
• Men spend double the amount of money on this day than women, approximately $100 to $150.
• Approximately 50 million roses are given on Valentine’s Day. Red is is #1 color selected followed by pink.
• Under normal circumstances, $19 billion is spent on jewelry on Valentine’s.
• The Italian city of Verona receives approximately 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet. There is also a four-day festival to celebrate the day of love.
• The first Valentine’s Day candy box was invented by Richard Cadbury in the late 19th century.
• Physicians of the 1800’s advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.
• Cupid is the son of Venus, goddess of love and beauty.
• Approximately 15% of women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day.
• California produces 60% of American roses.
• At least 9 million people buy their pets a gift on Valentine’s Day
• Penicillin was introduced to the public on Valentine’s Day in 1929.
• More than one third of men would prefer not to receive a gift on Valentine’s Day.
• Long-stemmed red roses cost an average of $75 or 30% higher than their normal price.
• Under normal circumstances, Teachers receive the most Valentine’s cards.
• The oldest surviving Valentine letter dates to 1415, a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
• Hallmark produced their first Valentine’s card in 1913.
• Penicillin was introduced on Feb. 14, 1929, UPS was formed in 1919 and Aretha Franklin recorded “Respect” in 1967, all on valentine’s Day.
• Esther Howland created the first Valentine’s card to sell in the U.S., she patented the lacy Valentine’s card in 1844.
• Lace is often used on Valentine decorations. The word “lace” comes from a Latin word meaning to snare or net.
• Thousands of Valentine’s cards are sent to Juliet in Verona, Italy, from Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet”.
• The Catholic Church struck Valentine’s Day from its official calendar in 1969.
• The phrase, “Sweets for the sweet”, comes from a line in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”.
• For every 120 single men in their 20’s there are 100 single women.
• 40% of people surveyed say they would rather have an “experience gift” on Valentine’s, an evening out, a concert, an outdoor activity.
• Valentine’s Day is a $14.7 billion industry in the U.S.
• Groundhog Day was originally on Feb. 14th.
• The dove is a sacred bird for Venus as is the red rose.
• At least 9 mil. People buy their pets gifts on Valentine’s Day.
• Condom sales are reported to be 20-30% higher around Valentine’s Day.
• March is the #1 month for at home pregnancy tests.
• 220,000 is the average number of wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day
• In the early 1900’s, the Chicago post office refused to deliver over 25,000 postcards on Valentine’s Day because the messages on the cards “were not nice”. These were called “Vinegar Valentines”.
• Valentine hard candy, “conversation hearts”, have a shelf life of five years.
•
64% of all men do not make plans in advance for a romantic Valentine’s Day.
• If you’re single, don’t despair. You can celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD) on February 15th.
• It is said the kind of bird a girl watches on Valentine’s Day predicts her future husband –
Sparrow – a poor man
Owl – remain a spinster
Bluebird – a happy man
Blackbird – a priest or clergyman
Crossbill – an argumentative man
• In Japan, women give platonic friends “obligation chocolate” to let them know where they stand. Men give women fancier gifts and chocolate on March 14th.
• In South Korea, single people wear black and eat a black noodle dish on April 14th signaling they are still single.
• In Wales, their version of Valentines Day takes place on February 25th in celebration of Saint Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers. Sometimes men will carve intricate spoons for women as a token of affection.
• Valentine’s Day is banned in Russia, Pakistan and Iran.
• In England, there was a tradition to place a bay leaf under their pillow on Valentine’s Eve to bring dreams of their future husbands.
• In Slovenia, February 14th the celebration is for Zdravko, a Patron Saint of Spring.
• In Ghana, February 14th is called the National Chocolate Day to promote tourism and cocoa products, their main economy.
• In Finland, Valentine’s Day translates to “Friend’s Day”.
• In Singapore, an average of $100 to $500 is spent on Valentine’s Day.
• In Ireland, many go to the Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, which is said to house relics from St. Valentine, where they pray for romance in their lives.
As you can see there is more to Valentine’s Day than you thought might exist. But, the important thing on this day is “Find the one you love and love the one you’re with”.
Have a Happy, Happy Valentine’s Day.
