Origins of Valentine’s Day
Ancient Roman festival linked to the origins of Valentine’s Day
What is Lupercalia?
Traditional gift women give men in Japan on Feb. 14
What is chocolate?
Winged Roman god with bow and arrow
Who is Cupid?
Shakespeare’s tragic feuding‑family lovers
Who are Romeo and Juliet?
U.S. state that produces most Valentine’s roses
What is California?
What Saint Valentine secretly performed for couples
What is marriage? / wedding ceremonies?
Denmark’s humorous “gaekkebrev” letters are this type of note
What are joke/teasing letters? (riddle letters)
Greek goddess tied to the symbolism of red roses
Who is Aphrodite?
Famous pair: Egyptian queen + Roman general
Who are Cleopatra and Mark Antony?
Company that introduced conversation hearts
What is NECCO? (original maker of conversation hearts)
Roman emperor who banned marriage for young men
Who is Emperor Claudius II?
The name for Welsh hand‑carved wooden “love spoons”
What are love spoons?
Gemstone symbolizing love and passion
What is the ruby?
Irish princess paired with Tristan
Who is Isolde?
Group that receives most Valentine’s cards after teachers & kids
Who are parents?
Imprisoned Duke who wrote the first known Valentine
Who is Charles, Duke of Orleans?
Type of mass event common in the Philippines on Valentine’s Day
What are mass weddings?
Shape possibly inspired by ivy leaves or silphium seeds
What is the heart shape?
Persian tale of lovers; the man famously goes mad
What is “Layla and Majnun”?
Century of the oldest surviving Valentine in the British Museum
What is the 15th century?
Writer of “Parlement of Foules,” tying the holiday to romance
Who is Geoffrey Chaucer?
Black noodle dish South Koreans eat on Black Day (April 14)
What are jajangmyeon (black bean noodles)?
Victorian decorative messages with coded romantic symbolism
What are Victorian Valentine cards? (lace/ornate cards)
Sanskrit epic containing the story of Shakuntala and Dushyanta
What is the Mahabharata? (story of Shakuntala & Dushyanta)
Italian city that receives letters addressed to Juliet
What is Verona?