Valentine's History
This Catholic saint is believed to have secretly married couples in ancient Rome.
Who was Saint Valentine?
The holiday is named after St. Valentine, a somewhat mysterious historical figure. Though there are several legends about him, one of the most popular theories is that he was a priest who officiated the weddings of soldiers in the third century A.D. During this time, Roman emperor Claudius II forbade young men from marrying, aiming to strengthen Rome’s soldiers. Legend has it that Claudius figured out what St. Valentine was up to and put him to death, making the saint a martyr for love.
This mythological Roman god is often shown as a winged infant carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows whose wounds inspired love or passion in his every victim.
Who is Cupid?
Cupid was the son of Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, and Venus, the goddess of love.
According to the National Retail Federation, this was the top gift people planned to give loved ones on Valentine’s Day last year.
What is Candy?
An impressive 57% of people planned to buy something sweet.
The tragic lovestory of these two fictional characters were dipicted in the 1997 film: "Titanic".
Who are Jack & Rose?
In the film, Rose honors Jack’s memory after his passing by changing her name to Rose Dawson.
This love song was used in 1936 film "Swing Time", starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. But, the most popular version/cover of this song was recorded by Frank Sinatra.
What is “The Way You Look Tonight”?
This popular greeting card company first began printing Valentine's Day cards in 1913.
What is Hallmark?
It has been said over the years that Valentine's Day is a "Hallmark Holiday" due to the myth that it was invented to sell greeting cards. However, Valentine's Day has origins dating as far back as the Roman Empire and was not always associated with love.
The term "XOXO" means this.
That are Kisses and Hugs?
It's believed that when Christianity came into prominence, the 'X' became a symbol for the cross and a substitute for the word "Christ." This evolved from the Greek letter "Chi" which looks like an 'X' and early Hebrew since 'X' is the symbol for the letter "Taw." The theory is connected to a long history of Christians kissing statues of Christ or kissing the Bible.
Meanwhile, the 'O' is believed to have come from Jewish immigrants who arrived in North America and refused to sign documents with the Christian-associated 'X.' Instead, they signed with an 'O.' The 'O' eventually changed into meaning "hug" simply as an opposite of 'X,' which had already come to mean "kiss." The 'O' also works as a symbol for "hug" because some think it looks like two people hugging from above.
This day is populary known as "Galentine's Day".
What is February 13th?
Galentine's Day is a global holiday that celebrates women's friendship.
This romantic film was released in 1987 and features Cher and Nicolas Cage.
What is Moonstruck?
The movie was so successful that it received six nominations at the 60th Academy Awards.
This 1980s Queen love song was written by Freddie Mercury while taking a bubble bath at Hotel Bayerischer Hof, in Munich.
What is 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'?
This northern state is home to "Cupid Lake" and borders Canada, Iowa, Wisconsin and both of the Dakota's. It has also been a hot topic discussed in the news of late.
What is Minnesota?
This white bird is often associated with romance.
What is a dove?
The dove was singled out to represent romance because Greek mythology associated the small, white bird with Aphrodite, the goddess of love (known in Roman mythology as Venus). Aphrodite/Venus is often depicted with doves fluttering around her or resting on her hand.
In this Mediterranean country, who's shape is often associated with that of a boot, giving chocolate keys become a Valentine’s Day tradition to symbolize unlocking the giver’s heart.
What is Italy?
In Italy, Saint Valentine's keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart", as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady).
This romantic, but also heartbreaking, movie is based on a book by Nicholas Sparks and features Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as the leads.
What is The Notebook?
According to Billboard, this is the most successful "love" song of all time based on overall chart performance and was performed by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie.
What is "Endless Love"?
The song spent nine weeks at No. 1 in 1981. This title track to the Brooke Shields film is also Billboard's most successful duet of all time. It was Ross's last No. 1 hit, and Richie's first as a solo artist.
The second son of THIS historic family is often credited with creating the first box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. His family, by the name of THIS, is most well known for their chocolate company founded in 1824 and often associated with a popular Easter candy shaped like an egg.
Who are the Cadburys?
Richard Barrow Cadbury (1835 – 1899) was an English entrepreneur, chocolate-maker and philanthropist. He was the second son of the Quaker John Cadbury, founder of Cadbury's cocoa and chocolate company.
This is the most popular phrase written on the popular Valentine's Day candies, Coversation Hearts.
What is "Be Mine".
Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Elvis Presley all got married in this U.S. city.
What is Las Vegas?
In the tragic Shakespearean love story of "Romeo and Juliet", Romeo kills himself by using this.
What is poison?
After finding Romeo dead, Juliet uses Romeo's dagger and stabs herself.
This music artist had a hit with the beautiful song "Through the Years".
Who is Kenny Rogers?
According to medieval Europeans, Feb. 14 marked the beginning of mating season for these winged animals.
What are Birds?
This is another reason it’s common to see birds as symbols of the holiday on Valentine’s Day cards.
While the red rose is often associated with love, the yellow rose is associated with this.
What is Friendship?
Sharing a number with Valentine's Day, there are this many lines are there in a sonnet.
What is 14?
A sonnet is a poem of 14 lines that reflects upon a single issue or idea.
This romantic movie shows Whoopi Goldberg as a psychic and is most popularly remembered for it's pottery scene.
What is Ghost?
The role of Oda Mae Brown was not written with Whoopi Goldberg in mind, but Patrick Swayze was convinced she would be right for the part after seeing her one-woman Broadway shows.
This beautiful country song by Lonestar includes the lyrics: "Your hair all around me. Baby you surround me."
What is Amazed?