| Valentine's Day Trivia |
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Cupid came to be associated as a symbol of Valentine's Day because he was the son of Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. He is believed to use magical arrows to inspire feelings of love. |
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The red rose symbolizes passion, and it was the favorite flower of Venus. |
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The ancient Romans believed that birds mated on February 14th, the feast of Lupercalia. |
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There was a popular belief that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire. |
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During the 17th century, a hopeful maiden would eat a hard-boiled egg and pin five bay leaves to her pillow before going to sleep on Valentine's eve. It was believed that this would make her dream of her future husband. |
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In the middle ages, people believed that the first unmarried person of the opposite sex you met on the morning of Valentine's Day would become your spouse. |
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Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday for the first time in 1537 by England's King Henry VIII. |
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The Victorians believed that if a lady put a silver coin under her pillow on Valentine's eve, she would receive a proposal by the end of the year. |
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About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every year. |
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Verona, the Italian city where Shakespeare's famous lovers Romeo and Juliet are supposed to have lived, receives about 1000 letters addressed to Juliet on Valentine's Day, every year. |
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15% of women in the US send flowers to themselves on Valentine's Day. |
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Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives and then sweethearts. |
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