Feature
Fun facts about Valentine's Day
Compiled by Tabassum Mokhduma
 Every year on February 14th, Valentine's Day are observed throughout the world. Here are some interesting tidbits about the day dedicated to love:
* There are at least seven saints with the name Valentine. No one is sure to which Valentine the holiday owes its name, but one likely candidate is a priest who lived in the third-century Rome. On February 14, 270 A.D., Roman Emperor Claudius II beheaded him for performing marriage ceremonies despite the Emperor's decrees outlawing them.
* “Claudius the Cruel” outlawed marriages when Roman men began refusing to go to war in order to stay with their wives.
* Another Roman martyr named Valentine was jailed and passed time by writing love letters to his captor's daughter, signed “Your Valentine”.
* During the middle Ages, Europeans believed that birds chose their mates each year on February 14. Legend has it that Europeans began to emulate the ornithological practice.
* It is believed that lovers first began exchanging mementos in the 17th century, perhaps heeding the words of Shakespeare's Hamlet, “Sweets to the sweet”.
* The oldest known Valentine card was made in 1400s, and it is now on display in the British Museum.
* Cheaper postage and mass-produced cards in the 17th and 18th centuries added to the increasing popularity of Valentine's Day.
* Esther Howland was the first American to make commercial Valentine's Day cards out of scraps of ribbon, lace and pictures.
* Presently there are 192 million Valentine's Day cards exchanged annually.
* Approximately one billion Valentine's Day cards are sold in the US each year, according to the Greetings Cards Association. This makes Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending after Christmas, which accounts for almost one in every four individual seasonal cards sold in USA.
* It is traditional to sign a Valentine's Day card with Xs to represent kisses, but what's the origin of this practice? It's believed to have started in medieval times, when people who couldn't write were allowed to sign documents with an X, which they then kissed to prove their sincerity. Over the time, the X's became associated with kisses.
* In order of popularity, Valentine's Day cards are given to teachers, children, mothers, wives and sweethearts.
* Red roses are single most popular flower to give on Valentine's Day. Although they make all look the same to the untrained eye, there are actually more than 900 varieties of dark-red and medium-red rose, according to the rose lovers' web site, everyrose.com.
 * World wide over 50 million roses are given on Valentine's Day each year.
* Buying flowers on Valentine's Day, 73% are men and only 27% are women.
* 15% of US women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.
* Valentine's Day and Mother's Day are the biggest holidays for giving flowers.
* Valentine's Day is the fourth biggest holiday of the year for confectionery purchases (after Halloween, Easter and Christmas).
* The first box of Valentine's Day chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868.
* More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates will be sold for this year's Valentine's Day. A survey conducted by the Chocolate Manufacturers Association revealed that 50 percent of women will likely give a gift of chocolate to a guy for Valentine's Day.
* Some eight billion Sweethearts Conversation Hearts-the small heart-shaped candy imprinted with sayings like “Kiss Me” are sold between January 1 and Valentine's Day each year. There are over 100 different sayings, but for the price of a full production run of 1.6 million individual hearts, one can order his own too.
* To commemorate Valentine's Day 2000, a liqueur manufacturer achieved the world record for the largest box of chocolates. According to Guinness World Records, the heart-shaped box measured 15 feet high by 15 feet wide, and weighed some 1300 pounds. It was assembled in New York City.
* The expression “Wearing your heart on your sleeve” comes from a Valentine's Day party traditions. Young women would write their names on slips of paper to be drawn by young men. A man would then wear a woman's name on his sleeves to claim her as his Valentine.
* Around 17% of pet owners surveyed say they include their animals in Valentine's Day celebrations, according to the American Animal Hospital Association.
* 3% of pet owners buy Valentine's Day gifts for their pets. But the dog lovers be aware! Make sure you don't give your dog chocolate. It contains naturally occurring compound called Theo bromine, which can be very harmful to dogs.
* Chinese Valentine's Day is not celebrated on February 14th, but on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This year it will be August 25.
* Women buy 85% of all Valentine's Day gifts.
But whatever the fun facts are, almost every one now celebrates this special day with full of zeal. Hope this year will also bring lots of love in people's lives. A very happy Valentine's Day to all!!!
(Student of Chittagong University)
(Source: internet)
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