Valentine's History
Three different martyrs are associated with celebrate as Valentine's Day - name their crimes
Who are Valentine or Valentinus 1. Priest in 3rd Century Rome, defied Emperor Claudius for outlawing marriage for young men. Claudius had him killed for it. 2. Valentine helped Christians escape from prison. 3. Jailed Priest sent the first “Valentine” letter from prison to the jailor’s daughter. Signed the note, “from your Valentine,” a tradition still used today.
What city did Saint Valentine's Day first take place?
Paris on February 14, 1400
20%
What are lovebirds?
Actual birds - did you ever see Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds - they started that whole chaos of that movie!
Valentine's Day may have been designed to offset a what pagan holiday with the gruesome practice of priests anointing women and crops with blood?
Lupercalia, a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome - to encourage fertility in the new year.
How many Valentine's Day Cards are exchanged each year in the U.S.?
145 million - Thanks Hallmark
What is the origin of candy hearts?
Throat lozenges
Chocolates did not always mean love - how were they used previously?
Physicians in the old days would recommend chocolate to people who were suffering from a broken heart or pining after a lost love.
People of the Middle ages celebrated the feast of Valentine's Day to mark the start of birds' mating day. Walt Disney coined a funny term in "Bambi" to explain animals' attraction in springtime.
What is the Twitter-pated. Thumper asked Owl, "Why are they acting that way? They're twitter-pated - Nearly everybody gets twitter-pated in the springtime. You're walking along, minding your own business when suddenly you run smack into a pretty face. Woo-woo! You begin to get weak in the knees. Your head's in a whirl.
How many conversation hearts are manufactured each year?
8 Billion!
How much chocolate is sold each year for Valentine's Day?
$1 Billion
How did Cupid become a common symbol of Valentine's Day?
The figure can actually be traced all the way back to 700 B.C., to the Greek god of love named Eros, who was actually a handsome, immortal man with the intimidating power to make people fall in love.
What English poet recorded it as a romantic day with this line: "For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”
Who is Jeffrey Chaucer in his 1735 poem: “Parliament of Foules.”
How many roses are grown just for Valentine's Day?
250 Million!
The heart shape wasn't always the symbol of romance - what did human's first believe the heart was?
People used to believe that the heart was the humans’ center of memory.
Who buys the most cards on Valentine's Day?
Women - 85%
Who was known as the "Mother of the Valentine?"
Esther A. Howland - in 1840 she began selling the first mass-produced cards in the country that were elaborate pieces of art that had real lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures known as “scrap.”
Who are the number one recipients of Valentine's Day cards?
Teachers
How long has a chocolate box been around? And who brought it into reality?
Around 1850, the Cadbury company took advantage of falling import costs and created the first box of chocolates. A decade later, they created the first heart-shaped box.
Who buys the most flowers for Valentine's Day?
Men - 73%