14th February is somewhere somewhat dedicated to love and romance now, but why? What is the history of Valentine’s Day and what does it really mean?
Get over your New Year celebrations, Love is in the air and so is the season of gifting and loving your friends and beloved is around the corner.
What is Valentine’s Day’s historic Relevance and story?
Valentine’s Day has been celebrated like a ritual since the Middle Ages, around the world though it is a Western installation and its influence around the world is a recent development. Yet Saint Valentine, on whose birth the day has been dedicated, took a romantic angle when Emperor Claudius II of Rome declared that none of his army men would marry during wartime. Bishop Valentine of the Roman Church objected to the Emperor’s weird law and further conducted secret marriages between young men and women. The Emperor came to know about it and quickly ordered Valentine’s arrest and ultimately execution. During his stay in jail before his death, Valentine wrote a letter addressed to the Jailor’s daughter signing it “from your Valentine”. So on this and every Valentine’s Day do not forget to remember the great Saint Valentine who gave you this day to remember your beloved.
1. The color of love
Red is believed to be the color of love. It signifies romantic feelings and makes the opposite sex get attracted as soon they see the color red. Hence on Valentine’s Day, people mostly buy red roses to give as a token of love to their beloved.
2. A sign of bad luck
During the Victorian times, it was considered a stroke of bad luck if one signed a Valentine’s Day card.
3. Ystӓvӓnpӓivӓ or Friends day.
This very odd-looking and sounding word is a Finnish word translating to “friend’s day”. In Finland, people call Valentine’s Day Ystӓvӓnpӓivӓ to remember your close friends rather than spending time with your lover or loved ones.
4. 2nd Largest seasonal sale of the year
Over 2 million chocolates are sold alone in the US, 50% of roses are sold 6 days before Valentine’s Day, and about 90% of seasonal cards are sold for this special day alone. So this day makes the 2nd largest seasonal sale of the year post Christmas and New Year. Americans spent a whooping USD 27.4 billion on Valentine’s Day in Feb 2020.
5. Most numbers of marriages solemnized on this day
Valentine’s Day sees a whopping rush of marriages around the world. Over 220,000 wedding proposals as the average number on this day alone.
6. Largest sale of roses
In the US in 2023, around 250 million roses are grown and sold on Valentine’s Day alone. Americans spend a whopping 2.5 billion USD on flowers alone, 85% of them accounted for roses.
7. England’s King Henry’s declaration
England’s King Henry VII officially declared in 1537 that 14th February would be the official date to celebrate Valentine’s Day because of the popularity then.
8. Love for Juliet
The romantic city of Verona, Italy from where Shakespeare’s romantic couple Romeo and Juliet lived. Receives annually 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet on Valentine’s Day.
9. To wear your heart on your sleeve – From the Middle Ages
Do you know where the phrase “to wear your heart on your sleeve” originates from? During the Middle Ages, on Valentine’s Day young men and women went to Valentine’s Day bowl and romantic evening parties where they would play out a game where they would be told to draw out names from a bowl containing names of probable single girls and boys and each of the sexes would then have to pin the names on to their sleeves for a week and see if they were able to engage themselves with their partners. So this is how the phrase took birth.
10. No Valentine? Then celebrate SAD
People who are mostly single on this day celebrate or commiserate their singlehood by celebrating their single status. Well, “Sad” is not sad it is- Single Awareness Day. So cheer up singles and enjoy your singlehood by pampering yourself on Valentine’s Day.
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