Fun Valentine's Day Facts

• The modern day celebration of Valentines Day is believed to begin in France and England.
• Cupid (symbol for Roman God of love), doves, love birds, roses, hearts and arrows are all symbols of the Valentine’s Day celebration.
• Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D.
• In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be celebrated around seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes.
• In Medieval times, girls ate bizarre foods on St Valentine's Day to dream of their future spouse.
• There was a belief in the Middle Ages that the first unmarried person (of the opposite sex) you met on the morning of St. Valentine's Day would become your spouse.
• The first Valentine gift was sent by Duke of Orleans to his wife, after he was captured in 1415.
• 73% of Valentine Day flowers are bought by men, whereas women buy only 23% of Valentine flowers.
• Around 3% of pet owners prefer to give Valentine gifts to their pets, as they are more grateful than humans.
• In oden times, some people believed that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
• The heart is the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart and its red color is though to be the most romantic.
• The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Since red stands for strong feelings, red rose is a flower of love.
• The first Valentine's Day box of chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868.
• In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine’s Day. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons that meant, "You unlock my heart!"