Valentine’s Day is here, which means it’s time to exchange roses, send love letters or cards, online or otherwise, to the person you love. Hopefully, you made a reservation at some fancy dining establishment ahead of time because it’s too late to do anything about it now. But whether you’re single or coupled up, chances are you’re ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a friend or with someone you’re in love with. But there are some interesting facts about one of the loveliest holidays that you probably didn’t know about like how many flowers will be delivered this year, or how long do Valentine’s Day chocolates actually last. But these facts will certainly shed some light on this popular holiday that we celebrate every 14th of February.Long ago, people assumed that love came from the heart, because it pumps blood, and the color of blood is red. So naturally, red hearts became a thing. Also, Egyptians left the heart of the dead alone before mummifying someone because they thought it was invaluable for the person’s journey into the afterlife.
Since 55 percent of the population in the U.S. will celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, the NRF’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics suggests that each individual will spend $143.56, which is higher than last year’s $136.57.
Etymologists claim that that the Norman word “galantin,” meant “lover of women.” But since the letters “v” and “g” were interchangeable, the word was often pronounced as valentin or valanta, which eventually turned into Valentine.
The National Retail Federation claims Americans will invest $2 billion on flowers, which is only about 10 percent of what folks pay for V-Day gifts alone. And it’s UPS who will have to handle the 514,000 boxes of flowers, which weigh a total of 8 million pounds this year.
Regardless of whether your pet is your one true love, or you divide your heart between a human and an animal, a lot of pets will be turning their heads and wondering why their owners are gifting them such lovely gifts or treats, in mid-February.
They give carved wooden love spoons to their significant others on Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t uncommon to find carvings of keys and keyholes as well as hearts on the spoons themselves. These carvings symbolized that someone’s heart would be unlocked and opened for true love.
Way back during the middle ages, young people would pick a name out of a bowl to figure out who their Valentine was. Then they placed that name on their sleeve for one week, in order to hopefully seal the deal.
People began leaving notes for the tragic heroine on a landmark that represents Juliet’s tomb centuries ago. Eventually, people around the world started sending mail to the town of Verona. By the 1990s, the city created the Juliet Club office to answer the 6,000 plus letters with a handwritten response.
The honor of breaking that record went to Mexico City, when 40,000 citizens locked lips on Saturday in the middle of town. This has got to be one of the largest symbolic gestures of romantic love in a very long time.
Some suggested that German girls would place the name of a boy next to the onions and plant them in the ground. The first onion to grow nearest to the name of the boy would be the name of the boy the girl would end up marrying.
They’re known as Sweethearts candies and have a message like “Be Mine,” Kiss Me,” and more printed on each heart-shaped candy. But the best thing about them is that they last. So, if you’re looking for something that stays as fresh as your love, then give someone these. They last up to five years.
Before you can love others, you have to first love yourself, and in honor of self-love, we present to you the fact that 14% of women have chosen to send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day, and no, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Ironically, 110 million roses, the biggest amount sold on Valentine’s Day in the United States comes all the way from South America. Many of those roses are red and are usually sold and given to a significant other within 3 days.
Unfortunately, an initial translation mistake by a chocolate company led Japanese people to assume that only women buy chocolates for the men in their lives. In fact, this is how single women often reveal to their crushes that they like them. The men wait until White Day on March 14 to return the favor.
This holiday was designed to counter the belief that you have to be in a relationship to celebrate happiness. There’s also another alternative called SAD, which stands for Single Awareness Day.
The superstition of the time suggested that anyone who was single and went out, would wind up marrying the first person they met of the opposite sex. The only problem was that they had to be single too or it wouldn’t work.
While red roses often represent love, pink roses can also be a symbol of friendship. Then again, yellow is a great option for that platonic friend in your life too.
Simon Pegg (1970), Freddie Highmore (1992), Meg Tilly (1960), John Barrymore (1882), Jimmy Hoffa (1913), Jack Benny (1894), Carl Bernstein (1944), Renée Fleming (1959), and Florence Henderson (1934), Tommy Dreamer (1971), Gregory Hines (1946), and Jim Kelly (1960).
It’s known as Ystävänpäivä in Finland, which doesn’t necessarily translate into Valentine’s Day, but rather Friend’s Day. This is awesome because the holiday is designed to allow you to remember your friends, who are with you through thick and thin.
