It’s that time of year again!

valentines-day-gifts-1

Valentine’s Day is this Saturday…or if you’re single, Discount Chocolate Day is this Sunday. Celebrate by beefing up on your Valentine’s Day trivia with these 10 weird & fun facts!

1. 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.”

il_fullxfull-307787848

2. Cupid means ”love” in Latin. In mythology, Cupid was a Roman god who fell in love with mortal woman Psyche by scratching himself with his own golden arrow that was meant for her. Through the power of Cupid’s love, Psyche became the butterfly-winged goddess of the soul.

650px-Hermitageoraziogentileschicupidandpsyche

“Cupid and Psyche” by Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639) Used under Creative Commons License; see below for more information.

3. Hallmark first offered Valentine’s Day cards in 1913 and began producing them annually in 1916; the company now offers cards, plush animals, jewelry, books and other gifts in celebration of Valentine’s Day.
weekly_loot_valentines_gifts_for_all

4. 141 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged worldwide each year.

be-my-valentine-charlie-brown-ftr

And poor Charlie Brown would be happy to get just one of them.

5. Back in Victorian times, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.

1-1910s-val-flowers-basket

Love, A Secret Admirer

6. Each year, florists produce & sell 196 million roses for the Valentine’s Day holiday alone! Red roses, the most popular choice, traditionally symbolize love, romance, beauty and perfection.

1800_956727. Many believe the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. Many people were illiterate & unable to write their names, so they instead “signed” legal agreements with an “X.” The X was then kissed as a symbol of their sincerity.

cdc18-5049e

8. More than nine million pet owners are expected to buy gifts for their pets this Valentine’s Day – furry friends need love, too!

177130780

9. In the 19th century, doctors & physicians commonly prescribed eating chocolates for patients suffering from broken hearts & pining for lost love. Even now, studies have shown that eating dark chocolate can help keep your heart healthy!

Chocolate-hearts

10. The popular Valentine candy “conversation hearts” has an average shelf life of five years!

colorful-hearts-basket-valentines-day-gifts-wallpapers-1024x768

That’s longer than Twinkies!

Contributed by RSVP Graphic Designer, Caitlin Tuohy.

Caitlin

 

 

 

 

SOURCES:

  1. Fact | Image
  2. Fact | Image
  3. Fact | Image
  4. Fact | Image
  5. Fact | Image
  6. Fact | Image
  7. Fact | Image
  8. Fact | iStockphoto.com
  9. Fact | Image
  10. Fact | Image

Alarm clock image can be found here.