Fun facts about Valentine's Day

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Valentine's Day
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Did you know? During the Victorian era, it was common for people to send 'vinegar valentines,' which were nasty, insulting cards sent to people you did not like as a prank.

Fact 1 of 30

30 facts about Valentine's Day

  1. 1
    While we now use the heart symbol to represent love, it is anatomically nothing like a real human heart, which is actually more of an upside-down pear shape.
  2. 2
    The very first Valentine's Day card was sent in the year 1415 by a French duke named Charles while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
  3. 3
    In the 1800s, it was considered good luck to pin bay leaves to your pillow on the eve of Valentine's Day, as people believed it would help you dream of your future spouse.
  4. 4
    It is widely believed that Valentine's Day is about finding romance, but in many places like Finland, it is primarily a day to celebrate your best friends.
  5. 5
    Every year, thousands of people write love letters to the city of Verona, Italy, hoping for a reply from the fictional character Juliet.
  6. 6
    People often think that Cupid has always been a cute baby, but in original Greek mythology, he was a formidable and powerful god known as Eros.
  7. 7
    Some historians argue that the Valentine's Day holiday was purposefully placed in mid-February by the church to replace pagan fertility rituals.
  8. 8
    The shape of the heart symbol might be derived from the seed pods of a plant called silphium, which was used in ancient times as a medicine.
  9. 9
    Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14th because the Catholic Church officially recognized Saint Valentine's feast day in the late 5th century.
  10. 10
    Many people assume Valentine's Day is a modern invention created by card companies, but its roots can be traced to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia.
  11. 11
    Pet owners across the world spend millions of dollars every year buying Valentine's Day gifts for their dogs, cats, and even hamsters.
  12. 12
    In the 1300s, it was considered good luck for women to eat strange foods on Valentine's Day to induce dreams about their future husbands.
  13. 13
    There are people who actually celebrate 'Singles Awareness Day' on February 15th just so they can buy all the leftover holiday chocolate at a massive discount.
  14. 14
    In some rural areas of England, children used to go door-to-door on Valentine's Day singing songs and hoping to be rewarded with cakes or sweets.
  15. 15
    About 73 percent of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while 27 percent are women.
  16. 16
    In the Philippines, Valentine's Day is the most common day of the year for mass wedding ceremonies where hundreds of couples get married at once.
  17. 17
    In Finland, February 14th is known as Ystävänpäivä, which translates to Friend's Day, and it is more about celebrating friendships than romantic partners.
  18. 18
    People often think Saint Valentine is the patron saint of lovers, but he is technically the patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy patients as well.
  19. 19
    Psychologically, the exchange of gifts on Valentine's Day triggers the release of dopamine, which is the same chemical released when we eat sugar or engage in exciting new hobbies.
  20. 20
    Every year, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare set Romeo and Juliet, receives over 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet that are answered by volunteers.
  21. 21
    In the 1800s, some people believed that the first unmarried man a woman saw on Valentine's morning was the man she was destined to marry.
  22. 22
    In South Korea, there is a holiday called Black Day on April 14th where people who did not receive any gifts on Valentine's Day gather to eat bowls of black bean noodles to celebrate their single status.
  23. 23
    The first box of heart-shaped chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868, and he cleverly marketed the empty boxes as keepsakes for storing love letters.
  24. 24
    In Japan, Valentine's Day is traditionally a day for women to give chocolates to men, but the men are expected to return the favor exactly one month later on a holiday called White Day.
  25. 25
    Many people believe Saint Valentine was a single man who sent cards to his secret crush, but historical records suggest he was actually a priest who defied the Roman Emperor by performing secret weddings for soldiers.
  26. 26
    In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentine would be and wore the name pinned to their sleeves for a week.
  27. 27
    The reason we associate Valentine's Day with romantic love is largely due to Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th-century poem, The Parliament of Fowls, which linked the date to the time birds choose their mates in the spring.
  28. 28
    Every year, millions of Valentine's Day cards are sent to pets, making them a very popular recipient of holiday affection.
  29. 29
    In Victorian England, people often sent vinegar valentines, which were mean-spirited cards designed to insult or reject unwanted admirers.
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