History
Around the World
Symbols
Candy
Flowers
Random
100
Valentine's Day began with who?
The Romans
Some believe the day derives from Lupercalia, a raucous Roman festival on February 15th where men stripped naked and spanked young maidens in the hopes of increasing their fertility.
The second theory is that while the Roman Emperor Claudius II was trying to bolster his army, he forbade young men to marry. In the spirit of love, St. Valentine defied the ban and performed secret marriages, and for his disobedience, Valentine was executed on February 14 around the year 270 A.D.
100
Letters to Juliet are sent to what city every year?
Verona, Italy
100
What winged god is known for making people fall in love?
Cupid
100
Who introduced the first box of Valentine's Day chcocolates in 1868?
Richard Cadbury
100
Yellow roses are a symbol of what?
Friendship
100
What happens roughly 220,000 times on Valentine's Day each year?
A marriage proposal
200
Where was the first valentine sent?
Prison
The oldest record of a Valentine is a poem Charles, the Duke of Orleans, wrote to his wife when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415, in which he refers to his wife as his "Valentine." For lack of a better phrase, the rest is history.
200
In what country is Valentine's Day known as "Friend's Day?"
Finland
200
Valentine's Day cards are one of the oldest and most popular ways of showing love and affcetion on the holiday and Hallmark has capitalized on that.
Who was the first person to commercialize valentine's cards and in what year did Hallmark create their first valentine's card?
Esther Howland, in the mid 1800s after receiving a valentine's card herself and thinking she could make one better. She employed a few friends to help and when the demand boomed she created a business that generated $100,000 a year. This gave her the name "The mother of American Valentine"
Hallmark, seeing her success soon began making them in 1913
200
What is the most popular flavor in chocolate boxes?
According to the National Confectioners Association, caramels are the most popular flavor in chocolate boxes, followed by chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate-filled, cream-filled, and coconut.
200
A single red rose surrounded by baby's breath is called what by florists?
A signature rose
200
What brain chemical is known as the "cuddle" or "love hormone?"
Oxytocin
300
What infamous king ironically made Valentine's day an official holiday?
King Henry VIII
In 1537, England's King Henry VIII officially declared February 14 the holiday of St. Valentine's Day by royal charter. And yes, he is the monarch who had six wives: one who died, one who survived, two who he divorced, and two who he beheaded.
300
In what country is Valentine's Day celebrated on January 25th where lovers exchange handcrafted wooden spoons known as "love spoons"?
Wales
300
Where does the phrase, "tying the knot" come from?
Knots symbolize binding things together, and love knots symbolize binding two people in love together.
Sailors at sea used to wrap wire gold wire in a lover’s knot around their fingers as a form of a wedding ring.
There is a marriage love knot tradition called handfasting that dates back to 7000 B.C.E. in Ireland.
This tradition involved tying a rope or ribbon around a couple’s hands in the presence of a priest to signify their unity and bond them together.
The idea of tying a knot around a couple is not limited to Ireland, though. Many cultures have their own knot tying ceremonies to bind couples in love together, each tradition rooted in the history of their culture.
300
What is the most popular Valentine's candy sold?
Conversation Hearts
300
Besides Valentine's Day, for which holiday are the most flowers sent?
Mother's Day
300
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names to see who their Valentine would be, and they would wear the name pinned to their clothes for one week so that everyone would know their supposed true feelings.
This gave way to what popular phrase?
Wearing your heart on your sleeve
400
Centuries ago women in England would pin bay leaves to their pillows on Valentine's day for what purpose?
To have sweet dreams of their future husband
400
What country celebrates the 12 days love, where on the 14th of each month people express love in different ways?
Korea
400
Name one of the birds associated with Valentine's Day
Lovebirds or Doves
Lovebirds are a small, brightly colored parrot native to South Africa, live 15 to 30 years, & mate for life.
They represent love, loyalty, fidelity and devotion.
White doves symbolize love, innocence, purity, hope and peace. Many varieties of doves mate for life as well. In addition to being a Valentine’s Day symbol, white doves are often associated with weddings.
400
What was banned in 1976 due to its color because it was thought to cause cancer?
Red M&Ms
Public controversy surrounding a synthetic dye called FD&C Red No. 2, the dye that was used in red food coloring was linked to cancer in a 1971 Russian study leading to fear of anything red. In 1987, after the panic died down, Mars reintroduced the red M&M
400
While California produces a lot of roses, the majority of roses sold for Valentine's Day in the US are imported from which country?
Colombia
400
How much is spent on Valentine's Day each year in the U.S.?
Americans spent $23.9 billion on Valentine's Day in 2022, the second-highest year on record. The record for spending was set in 2020, with $27.4 billion spent on the holiday.
500
In Victorian England people would give those they disliked what kind of valentine that was rude and insulting?
Vinegar Valentine's
500
In Romania the day is celebrated on February 24th as the day when young couples do what?
Get engaged and trek into the forest to pick fresh wild flowers
500
Why is the heart a symbol of love?
The heart was once believed to be the place where all emotions come from and where our souls reside.
It was credited as the place in the body where memories are held. Feelings of true love and the commands of God were thought to be inscribed on the heart.
Many people today still believe that love resides in the heart, making this shape a perfect Valentine’s Day symbol.
500
What popular valentine candy was originally a medical lozenge?
Candy hearts
Sweethearts trace their lineage to Massachusetts in the 1860s. At the time, lozenges were a popular way to deliver medicine, but they were exhausting to produce. A Boston pharmacist, Oliver Chase, invented a machine that streamlined the process by rolling the candy concoction and pressing it into discs.
15 years after the creation of Necco wafers, Oliver's brother developed a way to press words onto the candy lozenges with a felt roller pad and vegetable food coloring. It took an additional 40 years for the conversational candies to become officially heart-shaped.
500
What is the second most popular choice for flowers after roses?
Orchids
500
What kind of gift is on the rise with the younger generations?
Experiential Gifts
This gift option is particularly popular with millennials: 45% of people ages 18 to 24 and 40% of people ages 25 to 34 said they planned to give experiences for Valentine's Day.
600
The original valentine's cards from the 1700 and 1800's were often decorated with what?
Lace, ribbons, and flowers
600
In this country February 14th is National Chocolate Day. So if you're a chocoholic where should you be heading?
Ghana
They’re one of the world’s most celebrated cocoa bean producers. This nation gifts their better halves sumptuous lashings of chocolate each and every Valentine’s Day, in the shape of tailor-made hampers to boxes of handmade chocolate creations.
600
What 3 colors are symbolic of Valentine's Day?
Red, Pink, and White
600
What candy was nowhere to be found on Valentine's Day in 2019?
Conversation Hearts
The company was sold at the end of 2018 and factories weren't able to get up and running in time for Valentine's Day that year.
The peak selling period for conversation hearts is only six weeks long and it takes manufacturers 11 months to produce enough for those six weeks.
600
What percent of men buy their valentine flowers?
56%
600
9 million people say they give a valentine to who?
Their pets
700
Who was St. Valentine?
It’s said that Valentine was a priest who served during the 3rd century in Rome, and when emperor Claudius II announced that single men made better soldiers than those with families and wives, he outlawed marriage for young soldiers.
Valentine went against this injustice being done to young men and started performing secret marriages for young lovers. When the emperor found out about Valentine’s actions, he ordered that the saint be put to death.
He was martyred and his body buried at a Christian cemetery on the Via Flaminia on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine's Day) since at least the eighth century.
700
In twhat country the girl chases the guy on Valentine's Day and will splurge on buying gifts for them?
Japan
700
What do XOXO stand for and where does it originate?
X = kisses O = hugs
during the Middle Ages when many people were illiterate, they would sign documents with an X or a cross as a display of their faith and then kiss the cross to show their sincerity, literally sealing it with a kiss. This is perhaps how the X took on the meaning of a kiss and the O may stem from Jewish immigrants who came to America, signing with an O to distinguish themselves from the Christian X. Also an O looks like arms reaching around for a hug.
700
While most enjoy chocolates and candy hearts, Michigan and Nebraska favor this candy over all else?
Cupid Corn
700
What is Floriography?
The language of flowers
It was coined during the Victorian era (1837-1901) to define the symbolic meanings attributed to various flowers.
Floriography became very popular in Victorian England and in the United States during the 19th century, but actually dates back further than the Victorian Era. It has roots in Persia and Turkey in the 15th century where flowers replaced words, allowing people to express forbidden or socially unacceptable feelings.
700
Who receive the most valentines each year?
Teachers
And honestly, who else is more deserving? Oftentimes classrooms in elementary schools do fun Valentine exchanges to celebrate the holiday, which means that teachers often receive a sweet note from each of their students, making them the group of people who receive the most Valentines.