How Much Do You Know About Valentines Day?
If you haven't been paying attention, Valentines Day is this Saturday.
Time to place your orders for flowers, candy, and of course, jewelry. Or, if you're more like my wife Amy and I, you'll have a bathroom remodeled as a gift to each other. Although, to be honest, I'm still going with flowers and candy just to be on the safe side in case she was kidding when she said the bathroom would be gift enough for her. You don't log 23 years of happy marriage by being stupid.
Anyway, a few Valentines facts in case you should find yourself bogged down in conversation rather than romance:
From List25.com:
- The most popular theory about Valentine's Day origin is that Emperor Claudius II didn't want Roman men to marry during wartime. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret weddings. For this, Valentine was jailed and executed. While in jail he wrote a note to the jailor's daughter signing it "from your Valentine".
- In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.
- Based on retail statistics, about 3 per cent of pet owners will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets.
- about 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. This makes it the second largest seasonal card sending time of the year.
- If you’re single don’t despair. You can celebrate Singles Awareness Day (SAD) instead.
- Many believe the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show their sincerity.
- In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."
- Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.
- 73 percent of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
Here's just a bit more on the topic: