Valentine’s Day is considered as the most romantic day of the year celebrated by people in love. It is celebrated every year across the globe on 14th February. People celebrate it with their spouses, partners and sweethearts. But do you know how it became so popular and where did it come from? From its origin to today’s modern day traditions, read 30+ interesting Valentine’s Day facts that you didn’t know.

Valentine’s Day Facts

• After Christmas Day, Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day of the year for sending cards to dear ones.
• One of the most popular origin theory about Valentine’s Day is that Emperor Claudius II didn’t want a Roman Men named Bishop to marry his daughter. But Bishop Valentine went against his will and did secret marriage to his daughter. For this, Valentine was jailed and later executed for the same. While being in jail, he wrote a note to jailor’s daughter signing it in the last as “From Your Valentine”.

• After St. Valentine was buried in grave, the daughter of the jailor sowed an almond tree with pink blossoms near to his grave. Since the day, that almond tree is considered as the symbol of love and friendship.
• The word Valentine was derived from the Latin word meaning Valor.
• Pope Gelasius declared 14 February the holiday of St. Valentine’s Day in around 498 AD.
• Over 50 million roses are given on Valentine’s Day every year all over the world.
• Approx. 1 billion of cards are being exchanged every year on Valentine’s Day and the number keeps growing.
• Heart is the most common symbol of love and is associated with Valentine’s Day. The ancient culture believed that human soul lives in heart and its color red is thought to be romantic.
• Cupid is known to be the symbol of Valentines. It is son of Venus and Venus is Roman god of beauty and love.
• Rose is considered as favorite flower of Venus and for this reason it is the symbol of Valentine’s Day. 
• Approximately 28% are women who buys flowers on Valentine’s Day and rest 72% are men.
• The origin of Valentine’s Day came from the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia which used to be on February 15. This day honored the Gods Faunus and Lupercus and also the founders of Rome Romulus and Remus.
• The heart is linked with Valentine’s Day because it is known to be the source of all human emotions.
• On an average, men spends double the amount on Valentine’s day as compared to women. The average a men spends is around $135.
• Approximately 85% of Valentine Cards are bought by women.
• The phrase of “wearing heart on the sleeves” has a meaning to it. In the middle age, the young people used to draw the name of their valentine in a bowl and had to wear the name on their sleeves for 1 week.

• Each year on Valentine’s Day, the city Verona of Italy receives approx. 1100 letters that addresses to Juliet. This is the place where Romeo and Juliet of Shakespeare’s play lived.
• Richard Cadbury was the person who invented the first Valentine’s Day candy box in the late 19th century.

• On 14 February 1976, Alexander Graham Bell applied for the telephone patent.
• Approx. 16% of women sends flowers to themselves on Valentine’s Day every year.
• In 1537, England King Henry VIII declared 14th February to be the holiday of St. Valentine.
• King Henry the Eight had executed most of his wives because they did not gave birth to a son.
• There used to be a superstition in the middle ages that if you were single on Valentine’s Day, then you would end up marrying the first single person of opposite sex you met the same day.
• On Valentine’s Day, about 9 million people buy gifts for their pets.
• Owing to the popularity, people give valentine’s day cards to their dear ones including teachers, children, mother, father, pets, husband, wife, girlfriend and boyfriends.
• On Valentine’s Day each year, around 230000 is the average number of wedding proposals.
• More than 35 million of chocolate boxes are sold on Valentine’s Day.
• In U.S, approx. 65% of men do not make romantic Valentine’s day plan with their sweethearts and partners in advance. 
• It was considered as a bad sign to sign a Valentine Day card in Victorian times.
• Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day are known to be the biggest days for giving flowers.
• The oldest Valentine’s Day card which dates back to the 1400s is on display at British Museum in London.
• Red Rose is considered to be the famous flower of Venus and because of this Red Rose is known to be the symbol of Valentine’s Day.
• In medieval times, girls used to eat strange foods on this very day to make them dream of their future partners.