Each year, when February 14th rolls around, people all across the world spoil their loved ones with cards, flowers, chocolates, and presents. It's been a tradition for over a hundred years to show affection towards the people you love on Valentine's Day. Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Valentine's Day though? How did this day of romance and love come about? There are so many facts about Valentine's Day that people don't know. Here are ten Valentine's Day facts to help you better understand the origins of this holiday and how it came to be the modern version that we celebrate now.
1. Saint Valentine was a real person
As reported by HISTORY, the most accepted legend of how Valentine's Day started begins with a priest named Saint Valentine. Saint Valentine served in Rome during the third century. During this time, Emperor Claudius II banned marriage because he believed single men made better soldiers. Despite this rule, Saint Valentine continued to marry couples in secret. How romantic! However, he was caught and beheaded. Before he was killed, he fell in love with his jailor's daughter and wrote her a love letter. He signed it "Your Valentine."
2. We have the Romans to thank for Valentine's Day
Some parts of history are dark and twisted. Just like the Lupercalia festival the Romans celebrated. Lupercalia was a festival on February 15th that eventually became what we know as the modern Valentine's Day. This celebration was far from romantic though. During this festival there were animal sacrifices, lots of blood, and weird rituals that involved whipping women to make them more fertile, reports HISTORY. Thank goodness this festival was banned and replaced with Saint Valentines day on the 14th instead.
3. Valentine's Day is tied to romance because of birds
The Epicenter reports that the modern Valentine's Day is most likely associated with love and romance because of birds. It was believed in France and England that the mating season for birds began on February 14th. This helped add the idea of romance to the day!
4. A woman sold the first American Valentine
Americans most likely began exchanging handmade valentines in the 1700s, but it was a woman who sold the first one! Esther Howland created her own business and started mass producing valentines in 1840. She was known as the "Mother of the American Valentine," says TIME.
5. "Roses are red violets are blue..." is over 400 years old
The most famous Valentine's Day poem is ancient, according to Corner Poetry. It was written by Sir Edmund in 1590, and the words are just a bit different than we remember!
She bath'd with roses red, and violets blew,
And all the sweetest flowres, that in the forest grew.
6. People literally used to wear their hearts on their sleeves
Wearing your heart on your sleeve is more than just a saying. In the middle ages, men and women used to draw names to see who their Valentine would be. They would wear the name pinned to their sleeve for a week for everyone to see, reports Smithsonian.
7. There was a Saint Valentine Day massacre
On February 14th, 1929 there was a Saint Valentine Day massacre. The massacre was a Chicago gang war between rivals Al Capone and George "Bugs" Moran. Seven members of Moran's north side gang were shot to death by men posing as the police. Their deaths were generally linked to Al Capone's gang, but there were only suspects in the case and no actual evidence to prove this, reports American Historama.
8. 11,000 babies are conceived on Valentine's Day each year
People obviously have a favorite hobby on Valentine's Day. According to Women's Institute for Financial Education (WIFE) 11,000 babies are conceived each year on February 14th. Have you ever wondered why you are born in mid November?
9. Americans spend a lot of money on love
Americans spend a lot of money to keep the people they love happy. According to Finder, Americans will drop $30 billion on Valentine gifts this year. In addition, 53% of Americans will buy a Valentine's gift in 2019, and on average each of them will pay $221.34! That's costly! Maybe it's okay to be single on Valentine's Day then!
10. Furry friends receive love too
Today more than ever, pets are treated as members of the family! These sweet, furry animals are even recieving Valentine's Day gifts. Pet Business says that 69% of pet owners are likely to buy their pet a gift on Valentine's Day, while only 61% indicated they would buy their spouse a gift. February 14th is a day to honor your loved ones, including your beloved pets!
