Once we are done with the New Year celebrations, it is time to focus on the next big celebration, which is Valentine’s Day. Celebrated every year on the 14th of February, Valentine’s Day is an occasion to commemorate love. The day is used by couples to show their love for each other through gifts, outings, dinners, and other innovative ways.
As you prepare yourself to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, it is time to know some interesting facts about the day. Let your partner know these facts and watch them be amazed. These facts are those you probably didn’t know about and will enjoy reading.
Amazing Valentine’s Day facts
- It was a pope who first declared the day a holiday
A surprising fact is that Pope Gelasius I was the first to declare Valentine’s Day a holiday. In 496 AD, he made it a holiday to do away with the pagan rituals related to Lupercalia that were observed on the day. Interestingly, in 1969 Pope Paul VI removed the day from the holiday list.
- Valentine is not one person
Everyone would have heard that Valentine’s Day is based on St. Valentine. A fact that would amaze you is that Valentine is not one person. There are two references to Valentine. One was St. Valentine who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on performing marriages and was martyred on this day in 270 AD. The other Valentine refers to a priest who helped Christians escape from Rome’s prisons. He reportedly sent the first valentine’s message signing it as ‘your Valentine’.
- The first valentine was sent by a duke
In 1415, a French Duke called Charles sent a poem to his wife from prison. He addressed his wife as ‘my gentle Valentine’ in the letter. This is considered to be the first ever Valentine.
- There is a mother of valentines
Did you know that there is a mother of Valentines’? Esther Howland is credited with promoting greeting cards on Valentine’s Day. She saw such cards in England and started selling Valentine’s Day cards in the 1870s. Today, nearly 145 million greeting cards are sold on this day every year. Another amazing fact is that the maximum number of cards are given to teachers.
- Flowers are mostly a gift by men
In the USA, 73% of flowers purchased are by men who gift them to their Valentines. There are more than 189 million rose stems sold on the day. An interesting fact about flowers is that 15% of women gift flowers to themselves.
- Americans spend money on pets for this day
A fact that would surprise you is that $751.3 million is spent on gifts for pets by pet owners on this day. 27.6 million households in America gave gifts to their pets to celebrate the day.
- Jewelry is the top gift
Jewelry is the top gift given on Valentine’s Day. This is surprising considering that Valentine’s Day is mostly associated with flowers and chocolates. $5.8 billion was the money spent on buying jewelry on this day.
- It was Cadbury who started heart-shaped chocolate boxes
One of the popular products sold on this day is chocolate boxes that are heart-shaped. Richard Cadbury the son of the founder of Cadbury’s was the first to introduce these boxes in the market. He introduced these boxes in 1861. Every year, around 36 million heart-shaped chocolate boxes are sold with 58 million pounds of chocolate.
- Millions get engaged on this day
It is natural that being the day of love, couples prefer to propose and get engaged on this day. Every year around 6 million couples get engaged on this day.
- It is also the day for love letters
In today’s digital world, love letters are considered old-fashioned. But on Valentine’s Day, many couples prefer sending letters to each other to express their feelings. A very interesting fact is that every year there are 6000 love letters sent to Juliet addressed to Verona, the place where the story of Romeo and Juliet is set. Another interesting fact is that there is a club known as Juliet Club that receives these letters and replies to every one of them.
- Celebrations are mostly unplanned
Even though everyone knows when Valentine’s Day is celebrated, most people do not plan in advance. A study showed that 64% of men do not make any plans in advance. They decide on the day how to celebrate. Also, while celebrating this day men spend around $120 on average. Women spend on average $70.
