Valentine's Day Trivia & Superstitions

Valentine's Day is the day for celebration of love

There are various theories on the origin of Valentine's Day, but the most popular dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 A.D. Claudius didn't want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed by order of the Emperor on Feb. 14.

About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged in US each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.

The ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia on Feb. 14 in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage.

Women purchase 85% of all valentines.

Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine's Day each year.

If an apple is cut in half, the number of seeds found inside the fruit will indicate the number of children that individual will have.

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

In order of popularity, Valentine's Day cards are given to teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

Many believe the X symbol 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.

Parents receive 1 out of every 5 valentines.

Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.

If you find a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved will have the other missing glove.

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

Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are the biggest holidays for giving flowers.

Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine's Day each year.

In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a prospective suitor. If the gift is kept, then it means she has accepted his proposal of marriage.

Girls of medieval times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine's Day to make them dream of their future spouse.

On Valentine's Day, the first guy's name you read in the paper or hear on the TV or radio will be the name of the man you will marry.

California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the vast number sold on Valentine's Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America. Approximately 110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period.

The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.

73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.

More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.

15 percent of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

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. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."

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.

Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentines Day candy box in the late 1800s.

To be awoken by a kiss on Valentine's Day is considered lucky.

220,000 is the average number of wedding proposals on Valentine's Day each year.

In the 1800s doctors commonly advised their heartbroken patients to eat chocolate, claiming it would sooth their pain.

Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, an "Improvement in Telegraphy", on Valentine's Day, 1876.

If you see a squirrel on Valentine's Day, you will marry a cheapskate who will hoard all your money.

Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800s.

In addition to the U.S., Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Denmark and Italy.

In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared Feb. 14 the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.

If an individual thinks of five or six names considered to be suitable marriage partners and twists the stem of an apple while the names are being recited, then it is believed the eventual spouse will be the one whose name was recited at the moment the stem broke.

A love knot is a symbol of undying love, as its twisting loops have no beginning and no end.

If you see a flock of doves on Valentine's Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.

Wo ie ni

Je t'aime

Ich liebe Dich

Ti amo

Ya lyublyu tebya

Sources:
She Knows
St Valentine's Day