In case you forgot, Valentine’s Day is coming right up and is on February 14th. It’s the same day every single year. Some think this holiday might be pointless, others might think it is just not for them. But Valentine’s Day is sweeping the aisles of stores across the world. And although you might know the date, do you know about the history of Valentine’s Day? Here are some interesting Valentines Day facts that you probably didn’t know.
1. In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty.
2. The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s Day.
3.Women purchase 85% of all valentines.
4. If you send a larger envelope with your card to Cupid’s Mailbox in Nebraska, it will be stamped with a cute Valentine’s Day stamp.
5. The average number of wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day each year is 220,000.
6. There are 189 million stems of roses sold in the U.S. on Valentine’s Day.
7. Over 50 percent of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the holiday.
8. This Valentines Day fact is not surprising: Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine’s Day in the U.S.
9. More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day. That’s a lot of hearts!
10. I am thankful for this Valentines Day fact. Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in the late 1800s.
11. The phrase, “Wear your heart on your sleeve” has a history.
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see.
12.
A lot of people believe the X symbol in XOXO became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn’t write their names, signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show their sincerity.
13. Not a fan of Valentine’s Day? Head over to Finland where Valentine’s Day is called Ystävänpäivä, which translates into “Friend’s day”.
14.
In Victorian times, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.
15. Millions of couples get married every year on Valentines Day.
16. And lastly, about 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. This makes it the second largest seasonal card sending time of the year.
Some of these Valentines Day facts are not surprising. It is a day about love and sharing the love, so why not get married or engaged on this day? Are you a huge Valentine’s Day fan? What do you do to celebrate?