It will soon be the most lovable day of the year: Valentine’s Day. It’s time to celebrate love, companionship, friendship and all of the positive feelings associated with caring for other people. We have plenty of Valentine’s Day gift ideasfor that special someone in your life, and we thought we’d share some of our favorite fun facts about this distinctive holiday.
- It is said that Valentine’s Day began during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II. He didn’t want his soldiers to get married during wartime. A bishop named Bishop Valentine secretly performed weddings against the Emperor’s wishes. He was caught, jailed and executed.
- Valentine’s Day is the second largest seasonal card giving and receiving time of the year. About a billion cards are exchanged each year.
- Pet owners get in on the fun too! About 3% of pet owners give their pet a Valentine’s Day gift.
- In Finland, Valentine’s Day celebrates friendships more than romantic relationships.
- The expression “wear your heart on your sleeve” is a result of a tradition from the Middle Ages. Young men and women would draw a name from a bowl to see who their Valentine would be that year. They would then pin that name onto their sleeves for a week so everyone could see it.
- February 14 was officially declared Valentine’s Day in 1537 by King Henry VII.
- Chocolate used to be prescribed by physicians in the 1800s to treat those who were pining for lost love.
- Millions of boxes of chocolates are sold every year for Valentine’s Day.
- Of those who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day, 73% are men and 27% are women, but women buy about 85% of all Valentine’s Day gifts.
- A red rose is a symbol of love because it is said it is the favored flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red also symbolizes the color of love.
- Around 220,000 marriage proposals happen on Valentine’s Day.
- During the Victorian time period, if you signed a Valentine’s Day card, it was considered bad luck.
- Singles Awareness Day is also celebrated on February 14. It is meant to be a day for those who are single to celebrate their single status.
We hope you learned a few new things about Valentine’s Day! Are you interested in browsing through our Valentine’s Day gifts? Call The Woods Gifts at 651-458-4011, Browse Our Site or Contact Us. Source