#FunFactFriday – Valentine’s Day
We know, we know, Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Some of us dread it, some of us live for it and others pretend they’re indifferent to it only to be upset when their significant other doesn’t get them a gift, even though they were told, “Let’s not celebrate it this year, babe.” I think I’ve experience all three emotions, so I’m allowed to poke fun.
So for this blog post, we’re going to make sure we cover some fun facts that will interest couples and singles alike!
Let’s proceed.
- The most popular theory about Valentine’s Day’s origin is that Emperor Claudius II didn’t want Roman men to marry during wartime. Bishop Valentine went against this and performed secret weddings. As a result, Valentine was jailed and executed (harsh). While in jail, he wrote a note to the jailer’s daughter and signed it, “from your Valentine.”
- About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year—one of Hallmark’s favorite times of the year!
- For you single folk, don’t despair! You can celebrate Singles Awareness Day with me. Some celebrate this humorous holiday on February 14, some on February 15. Single people, let’s unite and decide on a consistent day, please! In the meantime, here are some ways you can treat yourself on this holiday.
- Another option for all the single ladies (and gentlemen) is to just catch a quick flight over to Finland, where Valentine’s Day is called Ystävänpäivä, which translates to “Friend’s Day.” It’s more about celebrating with your buds rather than your significant other.
- A common belief as to where the “X” in “XO” came from goes all the way back to medieval times. People who couldn’t write their names signed an “X” in front of a witness, sealing the deal by kissing the “X” to show sincerity.
- The phrase, “to wear your heart on your sleeve,” comes from the Middle Ages, where young men and women drew names from a bowl to determine their Valentine. They would then wear the named pinned to their sleeve for a week.
- Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for this holiday in the late 1800s. Since then, the need for chocolate on Valentine’s Day has grown immensely!
- More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and over $1 billion are spent on this sweet treat during this holiday.
- You’re not alone—15 percent of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day.
- The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and 189 million stems of these bad boys are sold in the U.S. on this day.
- Guess who receives the most Valentine’s Day cards? Teachers! Then children, mothers, wives, significant others and pets.
- Tis’ the season for wedding proposals—220,000 in fact! That’s the average number of proposal that occur on this day.
- Every Valentine’s Day, the Italian city of Verona—where Shakespeare’s infamous lovers, Romeo and Juliet, lived—receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.
See, that wasn’t so bad! Give us all—singles, couples and the in-betweeners—some food for thought!
Regardless of your relationship status, we wish you all a safe, happy and love-filled February.
