Valentine's Day is traditionally celebrated on February 14 every year, and we have collected 10 interesting facts about this day that few people know.
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day, every year we celebrate on February 14. It originated as a Christian holiday in honor of an early Christian martyr named St. Valentine, and with later popular tradition, it became an important cultural, religious and a commercial celebration of romance and love in many parts of the world. Some people like it, others don't, but one thing is certain - Valentine's Day is the day we like to spend with our loved ones and give them some kind of flower or chocolate.
But did you know that Valentine's Day has its origins from the times of ancient Rome, when it was celebrated as a slightly different holiday or that most engagements happen on Valentine's Day? This and many more are just some of the interesting things that we associate with this day, and we are below chose a total of 10 things, which you may not have known about Valentine's Day.
1. Valentine's Day is celebrated in a different way around the world
If you'll be out of the country on February 14th this year, your day may look different depending on where you are. In Japan, women are supposed to give chocolate gifts, but in the US, men spend twice as much as women on this day. In Norway, women receive poems along with cryptic clues that they must decipher to discover the identity of their suitor. In Italy, chocolate-covered hazelnuts wrapped in romantic quotes translated into several different languages are given as gifts, and in South Africa, women write their lovers' names directly on their shirt sleeves.
2. Valentine's Day dates back to ancient Rome
If you showed up in Rome on February 14th with a bouquet of roses some 2,000 years ago, you would probably have received some confused looks. In Rome at that time, a slightly different three-day festival was celebrated, better known as the Lupercalia festival. According to historians, the participants celebrated this holiday "drunk and naked", and men also sacrificed goats and dogs as a sign of fertility.
3. Saint Valentine is not only the patron saint of lovers
Whoever Saint Valentine was in human form enjoyed a wide and varied range scope in the afterlife. In addition to watching over love and happy marriages, he is also the patron saint of beekeepers, travelers and epileptics.
4. The first love letter
Legend has it that Charles, the French Duke of Oréan, sent the first Valentine's Day letter to his wife in 1477, which was then closed in London. However, some believe that the first letter was written by a woman named Margery Brews, who was deeply in love with one John Paston. The couple wrote love letters to each other and she once called him "beloved Valentine".
Photo: Antoni Sharba/Pexels
5. Greeting cards and gifts became popular in the Middle Ages
Shakespeare he made several references to Valentine's Day in his plays, and his recognition of the holiday reflected its growing importance. It is not known whether the lower classes celebrated that day or not, but there is evidence that they were rich people this opportunity marked with small gifts and congratulations. The oldest known printed greeting card is from 1797 and is decorated with cupids and flowers.
6. The first candy boxes
As spending on Valentine's Day gifts continued to rise, in 1861 the chocolate company Cadbury came up with the innovative idea of offering their chocolates in heart-shaped boxes. The logic went that, in addition to a sweet gift, the recipient will also receive a reusable decoration - a box. Fortunately for Cadbury, the new boxes were a hit. Unfortunately, the brand did not patent the idea and the design was soon imitated by all other chocolate manufacturers.
7. People send more cards on Valentine's Day
Love cards turned out to be a good investment, so the mass began production of greeting cards intended for lovers steam. In these modern times, romantics send an estimated 145 million Valentine's Day cards each year, making the holiday second only to Christmas (and that's only if you count store-bought cards).
The most beautiful verses for Valentine's Day: love messages and quotes for Valentine's Day
8. Valentine's Day spending is several billion dollars annually
Money can't buy love, but money can definitely buy it let's express. In 2021, as much as $21.8 billion was spent on gifts in America.
9. Sweets are the most popular gift
If you're wondering what kind of gift to expect for Valentine's Day, this is probably it something sweet. Candy is by far the most popular token of affection, followed by cards and flowers.
Photo: Creativity/Pexels
10. Six million engagements
Along with a handful of heart-shaped necklaces, some people decide to buy an engagement ring for Valentine's Day. In fact, on February 14 every year engage the stunning six million people. It is the second most popular day for engagements, after Christmas. Valentine's Day marks the end of what is sometimes called "engagement season" - each year, fully 40 percent of annual engagements take place between November and February.
