Valentine’s Day Facts

St. Valentine’s Day falls on February 14th of each year. Although the name is Saint Valentine’s Day, most people refer to the day as Valentine’s Day, or even the Feast of Saint Valentine. It was originally a day to celebrate Saint Valentinus, who performed weddings for soldiers who were not allowed to marry. He was imprisoned for this, as well as for ministering to Christians. Saint Valentinus wrote a letter to the daughter of his jailer before he was executed. His letter was signed ‘From your Valentine’. He was buried on February 14th. Valentine’s Day was not associated with romantic love until the middle ages. By the 1700s in England it began to resemble the Valentine’s Day we know today. At this time lovers began to express their love with gifts of flowers, candy and cards, which were called ‘valentines’.

Interesting Valentine’s Day Facts:

• On Valentine`s Day every year, there are at least 36 million heart shape boxes of chocolates sold.
• On average, men spend double the amount of money on Valentine`s Day gifts than women spend. The average amount a man spends is $130.
• There are enough candy hearts made each year to stretch from Valentine, Arizona to Rome, Italy, and back again. The number of these candy hearts produced is approximately 8 billion.
• There are approximately 50 million roses given on Valentine`s Day around the world.
• Women tend to buy approximately 85% of all the Valentine`s Day cards sold.
• Valentine`s Day is the second most popular day of the year for sending cards, second only to Christmas.
• There are approximately 1 billion Valentine`s Day cards exchanged every year in the U.S. alone.
• The phrase to wear your heart on your sleeve has historical meaning. In the middle ages young people would draw the name of their valentine from a bowl. They had to wear the name on their sleeve for one week.
• The first Valentine`s Day candy box was invented by Richard Cadbury in the late 19th century.
• In the middle ages, superstition said that if you were single, you would end up marrying the first
• After St. Valentine was buried, Julia, the daughter of his jailor, planted an almond tree with pink blossoms near his grave. The almond tree today is a symbol of lasting friendship and love.