Interesting Valentine's Day Facts

Valentine’s day is celebrated every year. But do you know where Valentine’s day came from? How it became so popular? Was it always about love and good feelings? From its bloody origins to its sweet, chocolaty modern day traditions?

St. Valentine's Day falls on February 14th of each year. Although the name is Saint Valentine's Day, most people refer to the day as Valentine's Day, or even the Feast of Saint Valentine.

It was originally a day to celebrate Saint Valentinus, who performed weddings for soldiers who were not allowed to marry. He was imprisoned for this, as well as for ministering to Christians. 

Saint Valentinus wrote a letter to the daughter of his jailer before he was executed. His letter was signed ‘From your Valentine'. He was buried on February 14th. Valentine's Day was not associated with romantic love until the middle ages. 

By the 1700s in England it began to resemble the Valentine's Day we know today. At this time lovers began to express their love with gifts of flowers, candy and cards, which were called 'valentines'.

-On Valentine`s Day every year, there are at least 36 million heart shape boxes of chocolates sold.
-On average, men spend double the amount of money on Valentine`s Day gifts than women spend. -The average amount a man spends is $130.
-There are enough candy hearts made each year to stretch from Valentine, Arizona to Rome, Italy, and back again. The number of these candy hearts produced is approximately 8 billion.
-There are approximately 50 million roses given on Valentine`s Day around the world.
-Women tend to buy approximately 85% of all the Valentine`s Day cards sold.
-Valentine`s Day is the second most popular day of the year for sending cards, second only to Christmas.
-There are approximately 1 billion Valentine`s Day cards exchanged every year in the U.S. alone.
-Approximately 27 percent of those who buy flowers on Valentine`s Day are women. The other 73% are men.  -In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.
-The phrase to wear your heart on your sleeve has historical meaning. In the middle ages young people would draw the name of their valentine from a bowl. They had to wear the name on their sleeve for one week.
-Every Valentine`s Day, the Italian city of Verona receives approximately 1,000 letters that have been addressed to Juliet. This is where Romeo and Juliet, the young lovers in Shakespeare`s play, lived.  -About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. This makes it the second largest seasonal card sending time of the year
-The first Valentine`s Day candy box was invented by Richard Cadbury in the late 19th century.
-On Valentine`s Day, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell applied for his telephone patent.
-Cupid is the son of Venus. Venus was the god of beauty and love.
-Approximately 15% of women send themselves flowers on Valentine`s Day.
-In 1537, King Henry the Eighth declared that February 14th was a holiday. King Henry the Eighth had most of his wives executed because they did not give birth to a son.
-At least 9 million people buy their pets a gift on Valentine`s Day.
-In the middle ages, superstition said that if you were single, you would end up marrying the first single person of the opposite sex that you met on Valentine`s Day.
-Penicillin was introduced on February 14th in 1929.
-After St. Valentine was buried, Julia, the daughter of his jailor, planted an almond tree with pink blossoms near his grave. The almond tree today is a symbol of lasting friendship and love.