Saint Valentine’s Day, also known as Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is a holiday celebrated on February 14 each year in many countries around the world. It is not a public holiday in most countries and over history it evolved into a holiday in which people express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”). See the fact file below for more information on Valentine’s Day.
- The modern day celebration of Valentine’s Day is believed to have begun in France and England.
- Cupid, which is the symbol for the Roman God of love, is one of the best known symbols of Valentine’s Day along with roses, hearts and doves.
- The heart is probably the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart. This is where the red color for Valentine’s Day is rooted.
- The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Since red stands for strong feelings, the red rose is a flower of love.
- Pope Gelasius declared February 14, St. Valentine’s Day around 498 A.D.
- In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be celebrated around the seventeenth century
- By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.
- In Medieval times, girls ate bizarre foods on St Valentine’s Day to dream of their future spouse. Many believed that the first unmarried person, of the opposite sex, that you met on the morning of Valentine’s Day would become your future spouse. In olden times, some people believed that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on 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.
- 73% of Valentine Day flowers are bought by men, whereas women buy only 23% of Valentine flowers. The first Valentine’s Day box of chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868.
- In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine’s Day. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons. These symbols meant the heart would be unlocked for love
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