Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly known as Valentine’s Day is observed on February 14th each year.
Here are fifteen facts about Valentine’s day that you may not know.
1. A popular theory about the origin of Valentine's Day is that Emperor Claudius II believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their attachment to their wives and families.
To solve this problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagement in Rome. Bishop Valentine, a holy priest in Rome, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, he was executed on February 14th in the year 270. It is believed that Valentine wrote a farewell note to the jailer's daughter and signed it "from your Valentine".
2. In Victorian times, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine's Day card.
3. A study of UK pet owners commissioned by Natures Menu in 2018 revealed that almost half of us (47%) will buy our pet a gift for Valentine's Day.
4. In Finland, Valentine's Day is called ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friendship Day".
5. Verona in Italy marks the location of the Shakespearean tale "Romeo and Juliet" and is universally known as one of the most romantic towns in the world. Each year, thousands of people send letters to the city addressed to Juliet. The letters are dutifully answered by volunteers from the Juliet Club. On Valentine's Day, the club awards the "Dear Juliet" prize to the author of the most touching love letter from the past year.
6. In 1537, February 14th was officially declared the holiday of St. Valentine's Day by England's King, Henry VII.
7. The tradition of giving chocolates on Valentine's Day can be traced to Richard Cadbury when he began putting the Cupids and rosebuds on heart-shaped boxes in 1861.
8. Hallmark, the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States, started to offer Valentine’s Day cards in 1913.
9. The well known saying “wearing your heart on your sleeve” originates from the Middle Ages. A man would pick out a name from a bowl to reveal his Valentine. The name would be pinned to their sleeve for a week for everyone to see.
10. To receive a special stamp for Valentine’s Day, each year 300,000 letters are sent to Loveland in Colorado. Behind the “Valentine ReMailing Program” is a group of volunteers who stamp each letter with a Valentine's verse by hand and t will then send them on to the recipient.
11. Valentine's Day is the second most popular day of the year for sending cards.
12. Loveland in Colorado is well-know as the home of the “Valentine ReMailing Program”. Each year, thousands of cards are packaged inside larger envelopes and sent to Loveland from all over the world. Volunteers hand-stamp them with a Valentine’s verse and send them on to the intended recipients. Each year a contest is held by the Chamber of Commerce for residents to submit their designs and verses.
13. Over 50% of all Valentine’s Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the observance.
14. The kind of bird a girl watches on Valentine’s Day predicts her future husband. For instance: a sparrow means she will marry a poor man and a bluebird means she will marry a happy man.
15. If you’re single don’t worry. Meant as an alternative to Valentine’s Day, you can celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD) on February 15th. The holiday is for single people to celebrate or to commiserate in their relationship status.
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