14 Interesting Facts About Valentine's Day

This holiday has taken more prominence and importance in many corners of the world, Even though we really don’t know the meaning, we celebrate love and/or friendship with one another. Whether you are in a relationship or not, many of us know that when February arrives, stores begin to be filled with hearts, roses, chocolates, cards, and much more. But before you begin to say you don’t like this holiday, there are some very interesting facts that are worth learning about this holiday.

1. Not everyone celebrates Valentine's Day.

If you thought Valentine’s Day was celebrated on the same day all over the world, it is not. In other countries the date changes a lot. In Brazil, for example, the “Dia dos namorados” takes place every year on June 12th. In Bolivia, they don’t celebrate Valentine’s day, but have a day that is something more like the “Day of Love and Friendship” and takes place every September 21st. Israel commemorates their particular Jewish Valentine’s Day on July 30th called Tu Be Ay. In Egypt, the day for couples is November 4th, and in Uruguay, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on September 21st.

 

2. Paris is the City of Love, but Verona is the Valentine's Day capital of the world.

The Italian city of Verona is the world capital for Valentine’s Day. Every year, when February 14th arrives, the town where Romeo and Juliet lived, according to the story, receives thousands of letters addressed to the protagonist of Shakespeare’s work from all over the world. The most tragic and important love story in the history of literature is why it holds this title.

 

3. In Japan, only women give gifts.

Like any borrowed holiday, the adaptation of Valentine’s Day in the country of the rising sun was not entirely orthodox. Whether deliberate or by mistake, February 14th is the only time women entertain their partners in a party known as “Tanabata”. Tradition states they give chocolates to their boyfriends. Also, a month later, it must be the men who respond to receiving their gift return it with flowers on The White Day. More and more Japanese couples are taking advantage of this celebration to climb Mount Fuji and ring the bell of love three times and there ask for eternal love.

 

4. Secret messages and an egg in Denmark

A Nordic country that has a unique game between couples is Denmark. On February 14th, anonymous poems are written by Danish men to send to their girlfriends. Given the anonymous nature of the letters, the empty space in the return address is used to write a small rhyme that makes up the sender’s name. If she manages to guess who the man is behind these verses, he will be rewarded with an Easter egg, thus opening the door to their first date.

 

5. Cheesy Cakes

For some, can be corny, but perhaps for others, a very nice detail. In Croatia, on February 14th, lovers give each other huge heart-shaped heavily decorated cakes which includes, as if that were not enough, a mirror on top. On it is written: “I give you my heart, look who is inside it”.

 

6. Women tend to celebrate this day more than men.

Different surveys carried out about Valentine’s Day, such as the one made public by Offers.com in 2018, says that 25% of men feel obliged to give a gift on Valentine’s Day. This survey also indicated that 20% of women get themselves something on this very day. Other statistics state that half of men would prefer not to receive any gift on February 14th, while 80% of women want to receive a gift on this day. Despite this, women are the ones who spend the most on gifts.

 

7. Valentine's Day in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages and around the middle of February, young men and women wrote their names on a piece of paper and put the papers in a bag. Then, each one took out a paper, and sewed it to the sleeve of their shirt. They had to visibly carry the name of their ‘lover’ for a week. Also, women ate extravagant dishes on this day in order to dream at night of their future husband. It is possible that it was not always like this, because nightmares could also happen.

 

8. The first Valentine's Letter

In addition to the theories about the priest Valentine, origins of Valentine’s Day also point to the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer. He wrote the first Valentine’s card on February 14th, 1381, for the wedding of King Richard II of England and Anne of Luxembourg. He dedicated a poem to them that ended with the phrase: “Because it is Valentine’s Day when each bird chooses its partner.” Some experts say that this is the first time in history that love is related to this day.

Other historians claim that the tradition of writing Valentine’s cards began a century later, with the arrest of the Duke of New Orleans, who was put in the Tower of London in 1415. The Duke managed to send a Valentine’s card to his wife just before the time of his death. Some experts believe that this could also be the first Valentine’s card in history.

 

9. Why red roses

It is very typical to see red roses being given on Valentine’s Day, but does this act have any meaning? Why not another color? It is said that the main reason is because red is considered the color of true love. In Greek mythology though, this color had an important meaning, since it is believed red roses were Aphrodite’s (the goddess of love and beauty) favorite flower. Also, another story states that the roses turned red because of Aphrodite. When she ran to save her loved one, she pricked herself with a thorn, dying the petals red of the white roses in her path. During the Victorian era, giving flowers became a Valentine’s Day custom, making red roses synonymous with the holiday.

 

10. What does Cupid have to do with Valentine's Day?

From Greek mythology, and later adopted by the Romans, Eros (or Cupid) is a god and son of Venus (or Aphrodite), goddess of love and Mars (or Ares), god of war. He is represented as a naked and winged child, blindfolded and armed with a bow and arrows. Wings and childhood indicate love passes quickly during a person’s childhood and the blindfold means love is blind. But in thinking about the relationship between Valentine’s Day and Eros (or Cupid), we find two possible theories.

The first says that during the time of priest Valentine, many people still believed in the Greek and Roman gods. Since the Romans were transitioning to Christianity it is possible that people at the time made a relation between them. Valentine being the priest who could carry out the ceremonies that united couples in love with the help of the god of love, Eros (or Cupid). The second theory is more recent and forms a relationship between the beliefs inherited from literature and art, where Eros (or Cupid) was depicted making couples fall in love through the crushes he launched when he shot his arrows.

Whether the romance lasted a short or long time, his main purpose was always love. Who else had this purpose? Valentine, another Eros who “died fighting for love” by uniting lovers. Over time and with the popularity this celebration achieved, these two characters ended up being the main symbol of this holiday.

 

11. Where does the symbol of the heart come from?

Originally, this symbol was used by the Egyptians because they understood how important the heart was to the rest of the body, since the mind and soul of the people were located in that part. Later, the Greek colony of Cyrene (near what is now Shahhat, Libya) created the symbol of the heart as it is known today. The same two-lobed heart symbol with a lower V design that we see everywhere. The symbol represents the leaf of the Silphium plant, which was used as a medicinal and contraceptive remedy, therefore, historians believe it was related to love and sexuality.

During the Middle Ages in the 14th century, the Italian physicist Guido da Vigevano created a series of anatomical drawings using a heart similar to the one described by Aristotle some time ago. Since the human heart had long been associated with emotion and pleasure, its shape was incorporated over time as a symbol of romance and courtly love. During the fifteenth century, the symbol of the heart spread throughout Europe – appearing on pages of manuscripts and luxury items such as brooches and pendants, coats of arms, playing cards, wooden chests, sword hilts, tombs, engravings, and printer’s marks. It became very popular during the Renaissance and was used in religious art depicting the Sacred Heart of Christ. It is also one of the four suits on playing cards. In the 18th and 19th centuries, it became a recurring motif on love notes and Valentine’s cards.

In the mid-1970s, graphic designer Milton Glaser created the famous I LOVE NY logo, which has become a worldwide cliché and meme. This sacred figure of the heart as we know it today still means love, no matter the language.

 

12. Heart-shaped candy began as medical pills.

The story behind heart candy is a Valentine’s Day fact that few people know about. When Boston pharmacist Oliver Chase created a machine to make medical sore throat lozenges, he quickly realized that his machine could also produce candy, so he founded the New England Confectionery Company, or as it is better known, Necco. Chase’s brother, Daniel, added the sentimental messages to the candy. A fun fact about Valentine’s Day is that these candies used to be much bigger and had interesting messages like “How long will I have to wait?” At a party in Boston in 1911, the hosts tore these hearts in two and handed them out to their guests, the formed pairs had to spend the night finding their matching half.

 

13. The number of roses you give in China is important.

An industry that has the most economic impact on February 14th is floriculture. Unlike most places, where the number of roses in the bouquet doesn’t matter, in China you must be very careful with the number of roses that are given as gifts. According to tradition, a single rose means “you are the only one”. Eleven means “you are my favorite”, 99 means the promise of “love forever”, and 108 mean a request for marriage. As you can see, counting the roses given is very important before you give them as a gift.

 

14. Esther Howland was the first Valentine merchant.

Esther has become known as the “Mother of American Valentine’s Day” for her artistry and sentiment in her greeting card designs, the magazine Time reported. Before Esther Howland commercialized them, the American sweetheart days were less romantic and more comical. Her inspiration came from greeting cards circulating in England, so she decided to sell similar cards in the United States. Her business took off during the 1850s, and she earned $100,000 a year; which is about $3 million today, according to Time.

As you have learned, Valentine’s Day has a very old history in combination with the elements that make it up. Most of it is fairly broad content, with a lot of meaning and sentiment. Regardless of whether you have a partner or not, you don’t have to spend a lot of money, just remember the main reason for this holiday – love and brotherhood.