Valentine’s Day: Five Things You Did Not Know About The February 14 Holiday

February 14 is Valentine’s Day. Depending on whom you ask, Valentine’s Day is a day for love and romance, an excuse to eat lots of chocolates and sweets, or a holiday made up entirely by Hallmark in order to sell more cards. Many people claim that they know all there is to know about the February holiday, but there are still plenty of things that people have never heard of about the day where Cupid strikes you with his arrow.

Valentine’s Day Has Multiple Origin Stories

Story one: Valentine was a Roman priest in the 3rd century during the time of Emperor Claudius II. Emperor Claudius II believed that the best soldiers were men who were single. The Roman emperor would make marriage illegal for young men. Valentine realized this was not fair and would perform marriages in secret. When the emperor found out about this, he ordered Valentine’s death.

Story two: Valentine was placed in prison for helping Christians escape torture by the Romans. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of the man who put Valentine behind bars. Before he died, he sent a love letter to the daughter and signed it “From your Valentine.”

Valentine’s Day Is Loved By Florists

Valentine’s Day is believed to be the holiday where florists generate the majority of their income. The amount of money spent on flowers is estimated to be just under $15 billion. How many flowers does $15 billion buy? It buys 189 million, 58 percent of which are red. Men outpace women at a three to one ratio when it comes to buying flowers on Valentine’s Day.

Cupid’s Arrow Strikes Hard

Even though it is considered a cliche, Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular holidays for a marriage proposal to take place. It is estimated that 220,000 wedding proposals will occur on February 14, which accounts for 10 percent of all the proposals that will happen in a year.

Valentine’s Day Is Second Only To Christmas In Sending Out Cards

One billion valentines are sent out every year. Who receives the most valentines? In order from greatest to least are teachers, kids, mothers, wives, and significant others. Over half of the Valentine’s Day cards that are purchased will be bought within a week of February 14. The oldest valentine ever to exist dates back to 1415 and is from Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife.

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Eating Chocolate Was Good Medical Advice

We know much more about medicine and the human body than we did 200 years ago. Back in the 1800s, doctors would tell their patients who have had their heart broken that they could eat chocolate and they will begin to feel better. “The World’s Greatest Lover,” Casanova, found that chocolate did wonders for him medically as well. Casanova believed that eating chocolate would enhance his sex drive. Not so much about the health benefits of chocolate, Valentine’s Day is the fourth largest holiday for candy sales. The other holidays that sell more candy than Valentine’s Day are Halloween, Easter, and Christmas.

How many of these Valentine’s Day facts did you already know? Do you know any facts about this holiday that you think are obscure and that not many people know about?

If you are single for Valentine’s Day, check out this Inquisitr article to see how to best survive the holiday.

[Image Via Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision for GODIVA/AP Images]