20 Bizarre and Fascinating Facts about Valentine’s Day

Photo by by Janine

Romantics young and old look forward to February, eager to express their love on Valentine’s Day. This annual celebration of romance has become one of the world’s most popular holidays, bringing forth a frenzy of shopping and gifting and dating. The day of love, quite poetically, is also one of the most well-loved holidays of the year.

But, like every holiday, Valentine’s Day has a few things about it that might surprise you. After all, it’s one of the oldest and most widely-celebrated holidays in human history. Here are 20 of the most interesting things you probably didn’t know about the day when Cupid takes aim:

1. When in Rome… — …do what the Romans do. Or maybe not. Many experts argue that the celebration of Valentine’s Day may have its origins in the ancient Roman festival known as Lupercalia. The festival was certainly something to behold — goats were sacrificed, and then men would strip nude, put the goatskins on, and start whipping the women. This practice was believed to increase fertility and ease the pains of childbirth. A number of historians say that when Christianity gained power in Rome, Lupercalia was one of the pagan practices the church sought to “Christianize” by incorporating into their belief system. The fertility festival was then attributed to St. Valentine, a priest who was said to marry couples in secret when marriage was outlawed by the Roman Emperor Claudius II in the 3rd Century.

2. Fashion Statements — Back in the Middle Ages, Valentine’s Day was often celebrated with a little game. Young men and women would gather and draw each other’s names from a bowl. Whoever they drew would be their Valentine. The men and women would then attach the names of their Valentines onto their sleeves, so as to display to the rest of the community who had their hearts that day. Incidentally, this practice is often regarded as the origin of the phrase “Wearing your heart on your sleeve”.

3. Wherefore Art Thou, Dear Valentine? — Romeo and Juliet are arguably the most famous lovers in literature. Shakespeare’s classic couple inspired countless proclamations and ideals regarding romance. It’s no surprise, then, that hundreds of years after the tale was written, people still fall in love with the characters. Verona, the city in which the play takes place, knows this fact all too well. The city reportedly receives about 1000 love letters on Valentine’s Day, each asking for the heart of Juliet.

4. Just as Sweet — While it may seem surprising to a lot of people, not all countries celebrate Valentine’s Day. That doesn’t stop Cupid’s arrow from striking, however, as those countries usually have other days of romantic sentiment. Romania, for example, celebrates Dragobete, which is held on February 24. Brazil, on the other hand, celebrates Dia dos Namorados (“Day of the Enamored”) on June 12. Other countries simply call Valentine’s Day by a different name; for example, Guatemala celebrates Día del Cariño (“Day of Affection”), and the Philippines know Valentine’s Day as Araw ng mga Puso (“Day of Hearts”).

5. Three Months, Three Celebrations — South Koreans practice Valentine’s Day a little differently. On February 14, it’s typically the girls who give chocolates to the boys they love. The boys get to return the favor with non-chocolate gifts on “White Day”, which is on March 14. Those who didn’t get gifts on those days can mourn their singlehood on Black Day (April 14) by eating black noodles. These three are only the most popular of the country’s love celebrations; there’s actually one for every month!

6. Multiple Personalities — Most folks don’t know that there are at least 3 Saint Valentines: Valentine of Rome, Valentine of Terni, and an unknown Valentine who was martyred in South Africa. Many distinctions between Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni have been lost over the years, but many individuals accept Valentine of Rome to be the inspiration of the celebration. During Emperor Claudius II’s rule, he forbade young men from marrying, so that the Roman army’s numbers would be bolstered. Saint Valentine detested this action, and decided to help young couples get married in secret. He was eventually caught and made a martyr. Before his execution, however, he sent out a letter to a woman. The note was addressed “From your Valentine”, making it the first unofficial Valentine’s card in history.

7. Say It with Cards — According to a study by the US Census Bureau, greeting cards beat flowers as the most popular way that Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day. Roughly 65% of respondents answered “Greeting Card”; “Flowers” got less than half of that figure with just 32% percent. “Date Night” came in second to “Greeting Card” with 44% of respondents, whereas “Candy” came in third place with 38%. The least popular way? “Jewelry”, which got a measly 11%.

8. Candy is Cash — With all the hullaballoo about Valentine’s gifts, it should come as no surprise that candy sellers make a sweet profit during Valentine’s Day. The celebration is responsible for over a billion dollars in candy sales! Chocolatiers get the biggest cut of the pie, as roughly 75% of candy sales during Valentine’s Day are from chocolate purchases. Looks like it pays to cater to sweet tooths, especially when Cupid’s flying around.

9. Substitute for Love — Chocolate has always been connected with Valentine’s Day and romance in general. It’s one of the most common gifts for Valentine’s Day, and is often used in other romantic situations. Legend has it even Casanova himself consumed chocolate to boost his virility. Why is it that chocolate is tied so intimately with love? Apparently, eating chocolate helps your brain release certain chemicals that have about the same effects on your mind as the sensation of falling in love. It’s no wonder, then, that people often resort to eating the delectable treat whenever they need a little more romance in their lives. Chocolates are more than just happy food; they’re sappy food, too!

10. Flower Power — It’s no secret that millions, maybe billions of flowers are given as gifts every Valentine’s Day. It seems, though, that Americans are pretty traditional when it comes to who gives the flowers. About 73% of flowers sold on Valentine’s Day are purchased by men, giving some hope to those who think chivalry is dead. Interestingly enough, though, 15% of the women who do buy flowers on Valentine’s Day buy them for themselves. It’s probably better not to be empty-handed on a day when everyone’s all mushy, come to think of it.

11. Not for Lovers — It’s funny to think that most Valentine’s Day cards aren’t exchanged by people in love, but it’s actually true. Spouses and significant others take the bottom spot among recipients of Valentine’s Day cards. Apparently, children and mothers get these cards a lot more often than couples in love. Who gets the most cards on the day of hearts? Believe it or not, teachers! Kids are really sweet that way, aren’t they?

12. The Price of Passion — Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest shopping holidays of the year. While it isn’t as grand as Christmas, there’s a great deal of money being spent on candies, cards, flowers, and other gifts. There’s also the romantic candlelit dinners to think about, too. With prices for premium Valentine’s Day items getting an increase as the day approaches (flowers get a 30% price increase on average), getting hit by Cupid’s arrow can be pretty costly. If you’re a guy, that is. Men, on average, spend at least $150 during the holiday. The ladies spend about half as much, averaging $85 on expenses.

13. When in Rome… Part 2 — Although Christianity may have had a hand in disguising a few Roman influences in the celebration of Valentine’s Day, Roman traditions weren’t phased out completely. The roses people give each other during Valentine’s Day have their roots in Roman mythology, in which the rose was often identified with Venus, the goddess of love. While some may argue that the symbolism of the rose has a more… adult connotation, romantics around the world prefer to think that the rose is, quite simply, a symbol of love.

14. The Middle Ages, Part 1 — We’ve all had dreams about the ones we loved. No matter how hard we try to hide it, we’re all a little mushy inside and would like to have thoughts of our loved ones occupy our heads as we sleep at night. People used to take this idea a lot more seriously back in the Middle Ages, when it was a common practice to try to induce dreams of one’s Valentine. How was this done? By eating weird foods. It was believed that eating such exotic and unusual dishes, one would be able to produce romantic dreams about your future spouse.

15. The Middle Ages, Part 2 — While most lovestruck individuals today agonize for months over the objects of their desires, people in the Middle Ages were a lot more random when it came to discovering one’s true love. It was a common belief back in those days that the first unmarried member of the opposite sex one saw during Valentine’s Day would eventually become one’s spouse. Although it certainly made things a little more exciting on Valentine’s Day, it’s probably safe to say that quite a few people would have preferred to be blindfolded for a while, just to avoid having some unsavory characters become your marital destiny.

16. Love Under the Sea — On Valentine’s Day in 2001, a world-record 34 couples were married simultaneously in a massive ceremony. The big twist to the event? The weddings were held underwater. The event took place 10 meters below the water’s surface, at Kradang Island in Southern Thailand. 22 countries were represented in this unique declaration of love co-sponsored by Thai Airways International.

17. Utensils of Love — Wales has a cute, if a little bit quirky, custom during Valentine’s Day. Other than the usual flowers, cards, and candies, a common Valentine’s Day gift is a wooden spoon. The spoons will often have romantic images carved onto them, like hearts and flowers. However, the most common designs include keys and keyholes, meant to symbolize the expression “You have the key to my heart”.

18. It’s All About Boxing — It seems that as Valentine’s Day nears, you start seeing boxes of chocolates everywhere. The most popular design of these boxes come in the shape of a heart. No matter what variation or size it is, a heart-shaped box of chocolates has become one of the most enduring symbols of Valentine’s Day. The practice of making Valentine’s Day-specific candy boxes was actually initiated by the famous chocolate-maker Richard Cadbury way back in 1868. The idea was an overwhelming success, and has become an integral part of the holiday.

19. Valentine’s Day Wasn’t Originally Romantic — Some experts argue that the idea of Valentine’s Day being a celebration of romance came long after its inception. In fact, the earliest records of Valentine’s Day being tied to romantic love came in the 14th century, in one of Geoffrey Chaucer’s poems. So what was Valentine’s Day about before that? Some say that because the date was named after Christian martyrs, Valentine’s Day was originally supposed to honor their sacrifice.

20. Not for Everyone — Sure, you’ve probably encountered a few friends who absolutely hated the idea behind Valentine’s Day. Most of the time, it was because they found it silly or were single. However, some individuals have much deeper reasons for disliking the holiday. Religious fundamentalist groups have been known to protest Valentine’s Day and call for its banning. Common arguments include its supposed glorification of lust. Such movements have actually succeeded in the past, as religious police in Saudi Arabia were able to ban the holiday in 2002 and 2008.

If you love Valentine’s Day like we do, then you’ll want to be sure to look the part with our Valentine’s Day Costumes. And keep the holiday fun going with great St. Patrick’s Day Costumes and Easter Costumes.

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