(PCM) Every year couples around the globe celebrate their love and affections on February 14th, also known as Valentine’s Day. Over the last few decades, Valentine’s Day has certainly become what could be called as “Hallmark Holiday”, as retail stores are filled to the brim with cutesy romantic trinkets, heart-shaped candy boxed and cards galore.
Many feel that couples love for one another should be celebrated each and every day and not only on one specific day of the year, but that is another article entirely. Either way, Valentine’s Day is here to stay and how you choose to celebrate is entirely up to you!
We have done some searching around and discovered a few facts about Valentine’s Day that you may not know!
- In Japan Valentine’s Day is celebrated by women crafting chocolates to present to the people they love the most. The culture looks at a gift of chocolate from a woman to a man to be an indication that he is their chosen one. The country also celebrates White Day on March 14th, where men present their beloved with presents that are supposed to cost roughly three times more than the present they themselves received.
- Sadly, in Saudi Arabia, the Valentine’s Day holiday is completely banned as the Islamic religion views Valentine’s Day as a pagan holiday. The ban chocolate, flowers and even the color red, really anything that is even closely associated with celebrating the holiday.
- The origin of Valentine’s Day actually began during a war. It stems from Emperor Claudius II, who didn’t want men to marry during wartime. However, Bishop Valentine went against the Emperor’s orders and performed secret weddings for couples in love. As a result, the bishop was sent to prison and consequently executed. During his time in jail, he wrote an affectionate note to the jailor’s daughter and famously signed it “from your Valentine”.
- Did you know that it was once considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card with your own name? During the Victorian era, Valentine’s Day cards were simply signed ‘From Your Valentine’.
- Everyone has seen the “X’s and “O’s” adorning Valentine’s Day cards and merchandise translating to our way of saying “hugs and kisses”. The X is synonymous with a kiss due to medieval times, as people who could not write their names would sign in front of a witness with an X, they would then kiss the X to show their sincerity.
- The very first box of chocolates made specifically for Valentine’s Day was created by Richard Cadbury in the late 1800s. The box of chocolates has since become a Valentine’s Day staple ever since.
- Roses are another Valentine’s Day staple as they were said to be a favorite flower of Venus, the goddess of love. The color represents a feeling of strong love and passion.
- Valentine’s Day happens to be the seconding biggest card giving day of the year, coming up only slightly behind Christmas.
- Hallmark was the very first company to mass-produce Valentine’s Day cards with the first one being printed back in 1913.
- A 2017 study by diamond retailer James Allen found that 43% of millennials chose Valentine’s Day as their top choice of day to propose or be proposed to. Guess that is why it leads us right into wedding season!