My date With Love

Valentines Day is much looked forward to by people across the world. The deep routed history supporting its origin is not a hidden fact. Despite this, there are several interesting Valentines Day facts that most of us are unaware of. These exclusive Valentines Day facts are indeed intriguing.

Valentine’s Day Fun Facts

1. The ancient Romans celebrated the Feast of Lupercalia on February 14th in honor of Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and goddesses. Juno was also the goddess of women and marriage.
2. Long before St. Valentine lived, February 14th had strong links with fertility. The date traditionally is known for when birds choose their mates.
3. Wooden spoons were the special Valentines Day gifts in ancient Wales. These spoons were engraved with designs of heart, keys and keyholes depicting the message “you unlock my heart”, a truly romantic way of expressing love.
4. Many believe the ‘X’ symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an ‘X.’ the ‘X’ was then kissed to show their sincerity.
5. In some countries, a young woman may receive a gift of clothing from a prospective suitor. If the gift is kept, then it means she has accepted his proposal of marriage.
6. If an individual thinks of five or six names considered to be suitable marriage partners and twists the stem of an apple while the names are being recited, then it is believed the eventual spouse will be the one whose name was recited at the moment the stem broke.
7. Girls of medieval times ate bizarre foods on St. Valentine’s Day to make them dream of their future spouse.
8. In the middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve.”
9. The oldest surviving love poem till date is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C
10. Amongst the earliest Valentine’s Day gifts were candies. The most common were chocolates in heart shaped boxes.
11. In 1537, England’s King Henry VII officially declared February 14th the holiday of St. Valentine’s Day.
12. Casanova, well known as “The World’s Greatest Lover,” ate chocolate to make him virile.
13. The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red roses are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic feelings.
14. The first Valentine gift was sent by Duke of Orleans to his wife, after he was captured in 1415.
15. About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged in US each year. That’s the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.
16. 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day are men, while only 27 percent are women. Men buy most of the millions of boxes of candy and bouquets of flowers given on Valentine’s Day.
17. Every Valentine’s Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.

These are some of the most interesting fun facts about Valentine’s Day.