Valentine's Day Facts

Welcome to Valentine's Day Facts. As Valentine's Day comes once more, with flowers, chocolates and gifts, let's take a look at the secrets of this beautiful day. It is very interesting to know all about the facts that tell the story behind the Valentine's Day. Know what Valentine symbols hold for us. So on this Valentine's Day as your heart reaches out to your sweetheart, let this old but valuable trivia help you select the perfect gift for your darling. Come let's take a tour on the best facts about Valentine's Day and know all the why, where, when and how's related to the valentine's day:

Valentine's Day Facts

1.)The day is celebrated as the commemorative day of Saint Valentine. The interesting fact is it is not certain whether this is one specific person, or the group of 14 martyred saints of ancient Rome, all of the same name.

2.) The Valentine's Day chocolate boxes were introduced in 1868 by Richard Cadbury.

3.) Some popular symbols of love used to express the feelings are cupid, arrows, doves, love birds, roses, and hearts.

4.) Pope Gelasius I of Rome declared Saint Valentine's burial day as the Valentine's Day, in 496 AD.

5.)The girls during medieval times used to eat strange food items, as it was believed that by doing so they would dream of their future spouse or lover.

6.) The Saint to whom the day has been dedicated brought nothing romantic to be attached to the day. However, the earliest association of Valentine's Day with romance goes to the credit of great writer Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote in his Parlement of Foules, 1382,"For this was on seynt Volantynys day, Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make", and hence beginning the tradition.

7.) During 19th century, physicians would prescribe chocolates to their patients, who would pine for a lost love.

8.) The cops of Saudi Arabia banned the sale of anything red or symbolizing love in 2002 and 2008, believing that this is a Christian festival, resulting in a black market of Valentine's Day gifts in 2008, which witnessed an even bigger number of customers.

9.) Apart from lovers, spouses, and sweethearts, the other people who receive maximum number of flowers, cards and gifts on the day are, mothers and teachers.

10.) The University of Maryland, educates the masses and media about the Valentine's day, through its academic experts.

11.)We all have heard the phrase "wearing your heart on your sleeve", but the phrase has actually come from Middle Ages, when according to a popular tradition, young men and women would draw chits from a bowl, to know the names of their valentines and then, would wear that name on their sleeve for the entire week.

12.) The day is also a great day for the beloved pets of many families, as it has been surveyed that people, in huge numbers, bring gifts for their pets also on Valentine's Day.

13.) The famous gifts and cards company Hallmark, launched its first valentine product in 1913

14.) The Medieval concept of Courtly Love, where male lover would court and praise the beloved through chivalrous deeds and poetry, descended from the ancient traditions associated with Valentine's Day.


Other Related Valentine's Day Facts

1.) Mother's day and valentine's day are the two biggest occasions on which flowers are given.

2.) Numerous early Christian martyrs were named Valentine.

3.) In Finland Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's day".

4.) In Slovenia, a proverb says that "St Valentine brings the keys of roots", so on February 14, plants and flowers start to grow.

5.) In some Latin American countries Valentine's Day is known as "Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship

6.) In Korea, the custom is if you do not receive any gift on Valentine's Day, then you, along with all the singles, go to Korean restaurants and eat black noodles to mourn their single status.

Valentine Cards

1.) Every year around 1 billion Valentine cards are sent across. After Christmas it's a single largest seasonal card-sending occasion.

2.) Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Children between ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and fagmily members.

Valentine Flowers/Roses

1.) Received Valentine Flowers? Well I guess you are a woman. Of the 73% of people who buy Valentine's Day flowers are men, while only 27 percent are women.

2.) A single perfect red rose framed with baby's breath is named by some florists as a "signature rose," and is the preferred choice for most for giving on Valentine's Day, anniversaries and birthdays.

3.) The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. The color red stands for strong romantic feelings making the red rose the flower of love.

Cupid

1.) Cupid is a symbol of Valentine's Day. Cupid was associated with Valentine's Day because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards and gift tokens holding a bow and arrows as he is believed to use magical arrows to arouse feelings of love.

Love Letters and Poems Refer:( Valentine Love Letters)

1.) Verona, the Italian city where Shakespeare's play lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters every year sent to Juliet on Valentine's Day.

2.) The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C.

Wear your Heart on your Sleeve

1.) In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew the names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned on their sleeves for one week. This was done so that it became easy for other people to know their true feelings. This was known as "to wear your heart on your sleeve"


Valentine Gifts

1.) On February 14th, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine's Day in Wales. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons. This Valentine decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

2.) The most beautiful and incredible gift of love is the monument Taj Mahal in India. Built by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan as a memorial to his wife; it stands as the emblem of the eternal love story. Work on the Taj Mahal began in 1634 and continued for almost 22 years and required the labor of 20,000 workers from all over India and Central Asia.

3.) In America, the pilgrims used to send confections, such as sugar wafers, marzipan, sweetmeats and sugar plums, to their affianced. Lot of value was placed on these gifts because they included what was then a rare product, sugar. After the late 1800's, beet sugar became widely used and more available and sweet gifts continued to be cherished and enjoyed.

4.) Amongst the earliest Valentine's Day gifts were candies. The most common were chocolates in heart shaped boxes.

The Valentine Heart

1.) The heart is associated to Valentine's Day as it is considered the source of all human emotions. The custom of drawing a heart shape is supposed to have come from early attempts to draw an organ that no one had seen. The symbol came on to become as a sign of love.

2.) The heart has been the most common figure of romantic love over the decades. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart. The heart may be linked with love because the ancient Greeks believed it was the goal of Eros, known as Cupid to the Romans. Anyone shot in the heart by one of Cupid's arrows would fall hopelessly in love. Because the heart is also closely linked to love, its red color is considered as most romantic.

Birds

1.) Lovebirds are often associated with Valentine's Day. These lovebirds found in Africa, are brightly colored and sit very close together with their mates, earning them their name.

2.) Doves are also part of the Valentine tradition. These birds are symbols of love and loyalty because they mate for life. A pair of doves will also share the care of all their babies.

3.) In olden times some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on the Valentine's Day; it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.


Love Knots

1.) A love knot is a symbol of undying love, as its twisting loops have no beginnings or ends. In olden times, they were made of ribbon or drawn on paper to prove one's eternal love.

2.) So friends now that we know the Valentine day facts, start your shopping today and express your love to your sweetheart. Happy Valentine's Day!