1)  The exact origin of St. Valentine’s Day is considered unknown however people believe that its first celebration was in the Roman Empire around 270 AD. 

2)   It was a war at that time and men were not allowed to get married as it made them weak according to the beliefs. 

3)    Bishop Valentine had performed secret wedding ceremonies to connect the hearts of the people who loved each other. 

4)    Bishop Valentine was sent to prison because of that. 

5)    During the time in prison he wrote a love letter to his jailer’s daughter with a signature “From your Valentine”. 

6)    Bishop Valentine was sentenced to death because of this crime on February 14th. 

7)    Red color which is the color of blood was once believed to bring the feeling of love. 

8)    The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Since red stands for strong feelings, the red rose is a flower of love.

9)    St. Valentine’s was declared a holiday in 1537 by King Henry VII. 

10)    During Medieval Times it was believed that unusual foods would make people have dreams about their future husbands and wives. 

11)    In the Middle Ages people picked the names out of a bowl and the person’s name which they drew would be their Valentine. Then they were supposed to wear this person’s name on their sleeve for a week. 

12)    The oldest known Valentine’s Day card is on display at the British Museum in London.  It’s dates back to the 1400’s.

13)    The first box of chocolate for Valentine’s Day was made by Richard Cadbury in the 1800’s. It was the start of the tradition top give chocolate for Valentine’s Day.

14)    Valentine’s Day is celebrated in America, Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada, France, Australia and Denmark.

15)    In Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet lived in Verona, Italy.  And every year people send thousands of Valentine’s Day cards addressed to Juliet to her address there.

16)    Who is Cupid and what does he have to do with Valentine’s Day? Cupid is the Roman god of desire, erotic love and affection.  In Latin Cupid is translated by Amor. Amor in English means love.

17)    It is interesting that teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards sent by children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

18)    Millions of heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are bought every year for Valentine’s Day.

19)    Over 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent worldwide every year.

20)    Did you know that Groundhog’s Day was originally held on February 14th?

 

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