Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day falls on February 14. This day has its roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. The earliest popular symbols of the day is Cupid, the Roman god of love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow.

Another story is about a Valentine priest, who had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14, Valentine was beheaded, not only because he was a Christian, but also because he had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailer's daughter of her blindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter, signing it "From Your Valentine." Another legend tells us that the same Valentine, well-loved by all, received notes to his jail cell from children and friends who missed him.

Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor.

February 14 was also a Roman holiday, held in honor of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the early American colonies. Although Valentine's Day is not an official holiday, but most Americans and Western countries observe Valentine's Day. Normally people show love or buy something for their friends and loved ones. Red roses, teddy bear with hearts, chocolates of heat shapes, and anything of heart shape are among very popular gifts today.

9 Valentine's Day Facts

1. Who Crafted the Oldest Known Valentine, and When?
Though legend has it that St. Valentine himself wrote the first valentine, the earliest verifiable Valentine was crafted in 1415 by Charles, the French Duke of Orleans. While a prisoner of war in the Tower of London, Charles wrote a love poem to his wife, which is today considered the very first valentine.

2. About How Many Couples Will Get Engaged on Valentine’s Day?
It makes perfect sense that Valentine’s Day, a time for love, would play host to a ton of marriage proposals — six million a year, to be exact. And while we don’t have figures to support this, we’re guessing that just under 100% of Valentine’s Day proposals end with an enthusiastic “yes.” There aren’t too many women out there who would turn down marriage on the most romantic day of the year. At least, we hope there aren’t.

3. What is the Only Holiday We Spend More Money On Than Valentine’s Day?
Between the roses, wine, candy, and fancy dinner, Valentine’s Day is an incredibly expensive holiday. In fact, it’s the second most expensive holiday we have, right behind Christmas. All the cards and champagne in the world can’t add up to the hefty bill you incur while buying gifts for everybody you know, even if you don’t want to.

4. Name a Non-Romantic Thing of Which St. Valentine is the Patron Saint.
As it turns out, St. Valentine’s job isn’t limited to spreading love and togetherness. The folks in charge of assigning saintly responsibilities have also made Valentine the patron saint of fainting, epilepsy, bee keeping, and plagues. Despite the distinct lack of plagues in recent years, we’d say this makes him a pretty busy guy.

5. What Life-Changing Invention was Submitted for a Patent on Valentine’s Day of 1876?
Alexander Graham Bell’s wife had Valentine’s Day all to herself in 1876, as her husband spent the day filing his patent for the telephone — or as he called it, “improvements in telegraphy.” Luckily, the much-catchier name “telephone” won out, because who wants to call Grandma on their “telegraphic improvo-matic”?

6. Name Cupid’s Parents.
If you’ve ever fallen in love due to the sting of Cupid’s arrows, then you have Venus, the Roman Goddess of love, and Mercury, the Roman God of Just About Everything, to thank for spawning him. If you’ve ever cursed the fact that the fat little cherub never does anything about your sad, sad lack of dates, then you have Venus and Mercury to blame.

7. Why Did Richard Cadbury Invent Heart-Shaped Boxes of Chocolates?
In 1822, John Cadbury opened a tea and coffee shop in Birmingham, England. He soon expanded into chocolate manufacturing, and in 1861 his son Richard greatly increased sales by packaging Cadbury chocolates in the world's first heart shaped candy box for Valentine’s Day.

8. Name the Country Where Only Women Give Gifts on Valentine’s Day.
Though Valentine’s Day is typically seen as a “guys buy girls stuff” kind of day, in most cultures both sexes can and should buy for the other. But in Japan, the dominant custom is that only the ladies buy gifts on February 14th. Luckily, a tradition invented in 1980 remedies this bit of old-timey inequality…

9. Name the March 14 Japanese Holiday Where Men Give Gifts in Return.
Even though men are allowed to sit out Valentine’s Day, Japan does recognize that women enjoy being pampered too. Therefore, every March 14th, the country celebrates White Day. On that day, roles are reversed and only men buy presents for friends and loved ones. So even though they have to wait an extra month, Japanese women do still get chocolate and jewelry from their men. Just to make Valentine’s trivia that much more romantic and exciting, feed her one of those delicious chocolates every time she gets a question right. And when she gets one wrong. And when she refuses to answer until you feed her chocolate. The point is, trivia, candy, and romance go perfectly together, so take advantage of that in any way you can.