Valentine’s Day Trivia | 65 facts about the big day of romance

Valentine’s Day is considered the most romantic day of the year. So it is one of the most special days for people who are in love!

1. Valentine’s Day is also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine
2. It is a secular and religious holiday celebrated annually on February 14
3. It originated as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early saints named Valentinus
4. Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world
5. Although it is not a public holiday in any country
6. There are numerous martyrdom stories associated with various Valentines connected to February 14
7. These include a written account of Saint Valentine
8. He was imprisonned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry
9. And for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire
10. According to legend, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his judge
11. He wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell
12. The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century
13. When the tradition of courtly love flourished
14. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion in which couples expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers
15. They were also offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards
16. They were known as “valentines”
17. Valentine’s Day symbols that are used today include the heart- shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid
18. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards
19. In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart”
20. As well as to children to ward off epilepsy
21. They were called Saint Valentine’s Malady
22. Saint Valentine’s Day is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion
23. And the Lutheran Church
24. Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day on July 6 and July 30
25. The former date in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine
26. The latter date in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine
27. He was the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni)
28. It is forbidenn in many countries of the East due to religious traditions
29. More than 2 million roses are sold each year
30. It is one of the most commercial holidays
31. Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day on July 6 in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna
32. While the European folk traditions connected with Saint Valentine and St. Valentine’s Day have become marginalized by the modern Anglo-American customs connecting the day with romantic love, there are some remaining associations connecting the saint with the advent of spring
33. While the custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts originated in the UK, Valentine’s Day still remains connected with various regional customs in England
34. In Norfolk, a character called ‘Jack’ Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children
35. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person
36. In Slovenia, Saint Valentine or Zdravko was one of the saints of spring, the saint of good health and the patron of beekeepers and pilgrims
37. A proverb says that “Saint Valentine brings the keys of roots”. Plants and flowers start to grow on this day
38. It has been celebrated as the day when the first work in the vineyards and in the fields commences
39. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Another proverb says “Valentin – prvi spomladin” (“Valentine – the first spring saint”), as in some places (especially White Carniola), Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring
40. Valentine’s Day has only recently been celebrated as the day of love
41. The day of love was traditionally March 12, the Saint Gregory’s day, or February 22, Saint Vincent’s Day
42. The patron of love was Saint Anthony, whose day has been celebrated on June 13
43. Valentine’s Day customs – sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”), offering confectionary and presenting flowers – developed in early modern England
44. They spread throughout the English-speaking world in the 19th century
45. In the later 20th and early 21st centuries, these customs spread to other countries, like those of Hallowe’en, or than aspects of Christmas, (such as Santa Claus)
46. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many East Asian countries with Singaporeans, Chinese and South Koreans spending the most money on Valentine’s gifts
47. In the United States, about 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year
48. This does not including the hundreds of millions of cards school children exchange
49. Valentine’s Day is a major source of economic activity, with total expenditures in 2017 topping $18.2 billion in 2017, or over $136 per person
50. This is an increase from $108 per person in 2010
51. Valentine’s Day customs – sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”), offering confectionery and presenting flowers – developed in early modern England and spread throughout the English-speaking world in the 19th century.
52. In the later 20th and early 21st centuries, these customs spread to other countries, like those of Halloween, or aspects of Christmas, (such as Santa Claus).
53. Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many East Asian countries with Singaporeans, Chinese and South Koreans spending the most money on Valentine’s gifts.
54. In the Eastern Orthodox church there is another Saint who protects people who are in love, Hyacinth of Caesarea (feast day July 3), but this was not widely known until the late 1990s.
55. In Denmark and Norway, February 14 is known as Valentinsdag, and is celebrated in much the same manner as in the United Kingdom.
56. In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag (“All Hearts’ Day”) but is not widely celebrated.
57. A 2016 survey revealed that less than 50% of men and women were planning to buy presents for their partners.
58. The holiday was first introduced in Spain through a 1948 advertisement campaign by the department store chain Galerías Preciados, and had become widespread by the 1970s. Known as “San Valentín”, the holiday is celebrated the same way as in the rest of the West.
59. The celebration of Valentine’s Day has been banned in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia due to beliefs the holiday conflicts with Islamic culture.
60. Since 2009, certain practices pertaining to Valentine’s Day (such as giving flowers, cards, or other gifts suggestive of Valentine’s Day) are banned in Iran. Iran’s Law Enforcement Force prosecutes distributors of goods with symbols associated with Valentine’s Day
61. Valentine’s Day was also celebrated as “Cow Hug Day” by some people in India.
62. It was first proposed by Animal Welfare Body on February 6 to celebrate February 14 as “cow hug day” in view of the “immense benefits of the cow”. “Hugging with cow will bring emotional richness hence will increase our individual and collective happiness.
63. Therefore, all cow lovers may also celebrate February 14 as Cow Hug day keeping in mind the importance of mother cow and make life happy and full of positive energy,” it said. The appeal to recognise the day, however, was later withdrawn.
64. For Valentine’s Day in 2018, the British Heart Foundation broke the world record for the longest chain of paper hearts.
65. Saint Valentine is the patron saint for a large part of the Lebanese population. Couples take the opportunity of Valentine’s feast day to exchange sweet words and gifts as proof of love. Such gifts typically include boxes of chocolates, cupcakes, and red roses, which are considered the emblem of sacrifice and passion