Today people are dropping big money to show their boo some love,but do you even know anything about Valentine’s Day?In the interest of possibly justifying how much you spent on a teddy bear and giving you something to chat about on your hot date, here's some interesting facts you probably don't know about today's holiday.
- Valentine's Day started with the Romans. All roads lead to Rome as far as Valentine’s origin stories go. One theory believes the holiday sprouted out of the Roman festival Lupercalia where men stripped naked and spanked young maidens in the hopes of making them more fertile every February 15th. Another theory believes we’re memorializing the February 14th execution of St. Valentine who defied the Roman Emperor Claudius II’s marriage ban by performing secret weddings and was subsequently put to death.Either way, don’t do as the Romans do tonight.
- Passing out Valentine’s is a 600-year-old tradition.The little kids in elementary school handing out Paw Patrol cards and candies are actually participating in something that started 600 years ago. The oldest valentine on record is a poem Charles Duke of Orleans wrote to his wife when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415.Rumor has it he ends it writing “send me nudes.”
- People consider pink and red the colors of love.When bulls see red, they try to kill it, when we see red, we want to eat it.According to recent studies, around 65% of Americans believe that the packaging of Valentine's Day candies and chocolates should be red and pink.
- Candy hearts were originally medical lozenges.Ever wonder where those candy hearts came from? Apparently back in 1847, a pharmacist named Oliver Chase invented a machine that simplified lozenge production and quickly realized that sugar was a better business.He converted his creation into a candy-making machine but it wasn’t until 1902 that the candy took its iconic heart-shape.
- Everybody Wants Chocolate And The “Good Piece.”Both men and women prefer to receive chocolate over flowers and it’s serious business. Chocolate sales represent 75% or more of Valentine's Day candy purchases and caramels are the most popular flavor inside the box. The one filled with coconut came in last probably just above the ‘piece with a bite in it.’
Eating up these unknown facts like a box of chocolates? Get the whole scoop on Valentine’s DayHERE.
Source:Womans Day