Today is Valentine’s Day so I decided to have a little fun and post slightly off topic. Must be the romantic in me.
As a blogger, I do a lot of research and came across some very interesting facts about Valentine’s Day. Do you know how it got started? Or, why we send cards? Or what the favorite gift is for men and women?
Continue reading to find out the Top Ten interesting facts about this special day.
1. Where did Valentine’s Day come from?
One of the most important facts about Valentine’s Day is why it is celebrated on February 14th.
There are two theories about the origin of Valentine’s Day. One is that the day derives from Lupercalia, a raucous Roman festival that occurred between February 13 and February 15th. During this festival men stripped naked and whipped the women because they believed it increased their fertility.
The second, more common, theory is that the Roman Emperor Claudius II banned marriage because he thought it distracted young soldiers. In the spirit of love, Saint Valentine, illegally married couples until he was caught and executed. And the day he was executed was February 14.
2. Who is cupid?
Eros, the god of love was considered a sex symbol because he could woo humans and gods with his unnaturally good looks. According to Greek mythology, he had two arrows. One arrow was made of gold that caused people to fall in love. The other was made of lead and it made people hate each other. He was later called Cupid by the Romans. During the Renaissance period, artists painted Cupid as a cherub that resembled a naked child which became a popular image for Valentine’s Day.
3. What is the most popular gift on Valentine’s Day?
Flowers!! Followed by chocolate and then jewelry. Americans send more than 220 million roses each year.
Another of the surprising facts about Valentine’s day is that both men and women prefer to receive chocolate over flowers. According to a survey by the National Confectioners Association, chocolate sales represent 75% or more of Valentine’s Day candy purchases.
And those heart shaped boxes of chocolates? They were introduced in 1868.
Today, approximately 36 million heart shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year. That’s 58 million pounds of chocolate.
4. How much love is shared on Valentine’s Day?
James Allen, the diamond retailer conducted a survey and found that 43% of millennials chose Valentine’s Day as their top choice of day to propose or be proposed to.
As many as six million couples will get engaged on February 14.
5. How much do Americans spend on love?
These facts about Valentine’s Day actually surprised me. According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $18.2 billion for Valentine’s Day in 2017 and were expected to spend $19.6 billion in 2018.
More than $1.7 billion is spent on candy alone. Men spend an average of about $150 on Valentine’s Day. But the women? Just $74 (I think it’s because we like to make things – right ladies?)
And nearly 9 million Americans will buy gifts or cards for their dogs.
6. What about those candy hearts?
Here is one of the sweet facts about Valentine’s Day. Did you know that Candy hearts were originally medical lozenges?
In 1847, a pharmacist from Boston, invented a machine that simplified the lozenge production process and it became the first candy-making machine. Later, in 1866, he and his brother developed a way to press words onto the candy lozenges with a felt roller pad and vegetable food coloring. In 1902, the “conversation candies” officially became heart shaped.
Each box has approximately 45 sayings and about 10 new sayings are added each year
These sayings have evolved quite a bit through the years. Today, the hearts even say things like “Email me” and “Tweet me.” You can even personalize your own.
More than 8 billion conversation hearts are manufactured each year. Necco, the original maker of the hearts, closed its’ operations in the summer of 2018 but plenty of other companies will still be making them.
7. When was the first Valentine’s Day card sent?
Today, millions of greeting cards are purchased every year. According to Hallmark, 144 million greeting cards are being exchanged every year for Valentine’s Day in the U.S. alone.
Passing out Valentines is a 600-year-old tradition. The oldest record of a valentine was a poem that Charles Duke of Orleans wrote to his wife when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415.
It was not until the 17th century that people started to exchange cards and letters. And Valentine’s Day cards weren’t mass-produced until the 1840s.
Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards annually, followed by children, mothers, and wives.
8. Why is red the color of Valentine’s Day?
Red has long been considered the color of passion and sexuality. Both the colors pink and red represent love.
And crafters will be pleased to know – Lace is commonly used in Valentine’s Day decorations. It comes from the Latin lacques,which means to snare or to net, as in catch a person’s heart.
9. Who first wore their heart on a sleeve?
If someone wears their heart on their sleeve, they behave in a way that makes their feelings very obvious. It is said that a tradition began in the Middle Ages where men and women would draw names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would then wear the piece of paper on their sleeve for a week.
Another version thinks that it’s likely that the phrase “wear your heart on your sleeve” comes from medieval jousts. A ‘sleeve’ referred to a piece of armor which covered and protected the arm. Knights would often wear a lady’s scarf or ribbon around their sleeve of armor.
10. Why does an ‘X’ symbolize a kiss?
People in medieval times who couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an X which they then kissed to show their sincerity. Perhaps that’s where the phrase “sealed with a kiss” comes from. It’s unknown where the O for “hugs” originated. One theory is that the O was used just because it was very easy to write.
I hoped you enjoyed reading about some of the facts about Valentine’s Day and that you and your loved ones have a ……..
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