When February 14 comes along, we can expect to exchange messages of love through thoughtful cards, flower bouquets and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. While these actions are small, they're sure to make your loved one's heart skip a beat. But as sentimental as the holiday may be, have you ever thought about why we celebrate Valentine's Day in the first place? Believe it or not, it wasn't always a celebration of love. Yep, it's true. But that's not all. We've found so many more interesting Valentine's Day facts that will make the holiday more fun.
While there's plenty of tidbits that just make sense for the holiday – like how over 8 billion candy hearts are produced every year! – there are some truths that aren't as sweet. To give you a sneak peak into the history of Valentine's Day, centuries ago, people celebrated by sacrificing animals to encourage fertility. It wasn't until the 1300s that it became an official holiday associated with love.
If you're looking for more fun pieces of info. to share at your party this year, keep scrolling!
1. St. Valentine wasn't just one person.
You may already know that Valentine's Day was named after its patron saint, St. Valentine — but there's actually some confusion surrounding which St. Valentine the holiday technically honors. According to History.com, there are at least two men named Valentine that could've inspired the holiday, including one Valentine who was a priest in third century Rome. As the story goes, this Valentine defied Emperor Claudius II's ban on marriage (he thought it distracted young soldiers), illegally marrying couples in the spirit of love until he was caught and sentenced to death.
Another legend suggests that Valentine was killed for attempting to help Christians escape prison in Rome, and that he actually sent the first "valentine" message himself while imprisoned, writing a letter signed "From your Valentine."
2. Valentine's Day has its roots in an ancient Pagan festival.
Though some historians believe that Valentine's Day commemorates the death of St. Valentine on February 14, others believe that the holiday actually has its origins in a Pagan fertility festival called "Lupercalia," which was celebrated on February 15 in ancient Rome. Dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Roman founders Romulus and Remus, the day was celebrated by sacrificing animals and smacking women with animal hides, a practice that was believed to encourage fertility.
3. In the 1300s, it officially became a holiday associated with love.
At the end of the 5th century, Roman Pope Gelasius officially declared the date of February 14 "St. Valentine's Day." It wasn't until until the Middle Ages, though, that the holiday became associated with love and romance, a tradition that first started from the common belief in France and England that birds started their mating season on February 14.
4. Cupid has its roots in Greek mythology.
He's the charming cherub that appears on Valentine's Day cards, often depicted with a bow and arrow — but how did Cupid become a common symbol of Valentine's Day? According to Time, the figure can actually be traced all the way back to 700 B.C., to the Greek god of love named Eros, who was actually a handsome, immortal man with the intimidating power to make people fall in love. It wasn't until the 4th century BCE that the Romans adopted Eros into the image of a cute little boy with a bow and arrow, naming him "Cupid." By the turn of the 19th century, Cupid had become linked to Valentine's Day due to his love-matching powers.
5. The first valentine was sent in the 15th century.
The oldest record of a valentine being sent, according to History.com, was a poem written by a French medieval duke named Charles to his wife in 1415. Charles penned this sweet note to his lover while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London at just 21 years old. One of the lines in the poem? "I am already sick of love, My very gentle Valentine." Swoon!
6. Not until the 1840s did we get the first mass-produced valentines.
People started exchanging cards and handwritten letters to both lovers and friends during the 17th century, but it was in the 1840s that the first Valentine's Day cards were mass-produced in the U.S., sold by Esther A. Howland. Known as the "Mother of the American Valentine," Howland is credited with commercializing Valentine's Day cards in America, and she is remembered for her elaborate, crafty cards made with lace and ribbons.
7. The tradition of giving Valentine's Day flowers dates back to the 17th century.
Giving red roses may be an obvious romantic gesture today, but it wasn't until the late 17th century that giving flowers became a popular custom. In fact, the practice can be traced back to when King Charles II of Sweden learned the "language of flowers" — which pairs different flowers with specific meanings — on a trip to Persia, and subsequently introduced the tradition to Europe. The act of giving flowers then became a popular trend during the Victorian Era — including on Valentine's Day — with red roses symbolizing deep love.
8. Nearly 250 million roses are grown in preparation for Valentine's Day each year.
There is a science to ensuring that there are enough fresh roses to go around when it comes to February 14. In an effort to provide the flowers for the holiday, countries including Ecuador, Kenya, or Columbia ship the roses to the U.S., since they do not grow in the colder temperatures we experience in February.
9. The color of flower given on Valentine's Day holds meaning.
While a red rose has traditionally symbolized love, other colors like deep pink, purple or white -- which symbolize happiness, royalty and sympathy respectively -- may be given on the holiday too.
10. Today, Americans spend a lot on love.
According to the National Retail Foundation, Americans spent nearly $26 billion on Valentine's Day gifts in 2023. People were also expected to spend an average of approximately $193 for Valentine's Day.
11. Americans send 145 million Valentine's Day cards each year.
According to Hallmark, a whopping 145 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every February 14 (and that's not even including all those kids' valentines exchanged in classrooms!). This makes Valentine's Day the second biggest holiday for exchanging greeting cards, after Christmas. And how sweet: Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards annually, followed by children, mothers and wives. Needless to say, we've come a long way from 1913, which was when Hallmark Cards produced their first Valentine's card.
12. Booklets were created to help people write valentines.
If you needed help finding the right words to send to your loved ones in the 19th century, you could purchase a Valentine's Writer. The booklets contained sample text that could be used to express your love.
13. And they also spend millions of dollars on gifts for their pets.
Hey, furry friends need love, too! In fact, around 27.6 million American households gave Valentine's Day presents to their pet dogs in 2020, and more than 17.1 million picked up gifts for their cats. All in all, American households spent an estimated $751.3 million on gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day.
14. Candy is the most popular gift to give.
According to the National Retail Federation, most people will give candy and greeting cards to their loves, although many will also spend money on flowers, gift cards and clothing. But the biggest expenses are jewelry and activites. "Americans plan to spend more than $5.5 billion on jewelry and nearly $4.4 billion on a special evening out," the site said.
15. The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in 1861.
It was created by Richard Cadbury, son of Cadbury founder John Cadbury, who started packaging chocolates in fancy boxes to increase sales. He introduced the first heart-shaped box of chocolates for V-Day in 1861, and today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold each year. That's 58 million pounds of chocolate!
16. Conversation hearts got their start as medical lozenges.
Weirdly enough, the story of conversation hearts first began when a Boston pharmacist named Oliver Chase invented a machine that simplified the way medical lozenges — used for sore throats and other illnesses — could be made. The result was America's first candy-making machine, because the pharmacist soon started shifting his focus from making lozenges to candy instead! Chase founded the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, and the candy lozenges soon became what we know today as Necco wafers.
17. But it wasn't until 1866 that we first got sweet printed messages on conversation hearts.
It was Oliver's brother, Daniel Chase, who started printing sentimental messages on the Necco sweethearts, though these candies were bigger than the versions we have today — and featured much longer printed sayings and phrases. Some of the first messages? "Married in white you have chosen right" and "How long shall I have to wait? Please be considerate."
18. More than 8 billion conversation hearts are manufactured each year ....
And Necco has to make them all 'year round. Each box has approximately 45 sayings — including "True Love," "Hug Me" and "You Rock" — but you can personalize your own, too. But don't worry if you still have last year's box — they have a shelf life of five years.
19. No one could get their hands on conversation hearts in 2019.
Necco went out of business in 2018 and sold Necco Wafers and Sweethearts to Spangler Candy, the creators of Dum Dum lollipops. Due to the new manufacturing needs, Spangler Candy was unable to produce 8 billion of the candy hearts for 2019. "There are a lot of manufacturing challenges and unanswered questions at this point, and we want to make sure these brands meet consumer expectations when they re-enter the market," Spangler CEO and chairman Kirk Vashaw said at the time, according to Food Business News.
20. Words of encouragement were added to Sweethearts in 2022.
Spangler Candy decided to introduce new sayings to the famous Sweethearts last year. The iconic candies featured phrases like “WAY 2 GO,” “CRUSH IT” AND “HIGH FIVE,” making them perfect to share with friends or lovers.
21. It's one of the most popular days for proposals.
I mean, what better day is there for a marriage proposal than a day literally dedicated to love and romance? While Christmas and New Year's Day see more people popping the big question, Valentine's Day is also a big one. Plus, one survey showed that many would have loved to get engaged on V-Day.
22. It's celebrated differently around the world.
Many Latin American countries know the holiday as el día de los enamorados (day of lovers) or día del amor y la amistad (day of love and friendship). Though couples exchange flowers and chocolate on this day, the holiday's focus is also directed at showing gratitude to friends.
In Japan, it's customary for just the women to give confections to the men in their lives, with the quality of the chocolate indicating their true feelings, according to Fortune. On March 14, exactly a month later, the men repay the favor by celebrating the increasingly popular "White Day."
23. Valentine's Day horror movies are a thing.
That's right, some people prefer to get their heart rates up by watching a scary movie about the holiday. The popular 1981 film, My Bloody Valentine, is just one of many.
24. Galentine's Day has risen in popularity.
The holiday, which is celebrated on February 13, was introduced by Amy Poehler's Parks and Recreation character Leslie Knope in 2010. According to Knope, Galentine's Day is all about “Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus, frittatas.”
25. “XOXO” didn't always mean hugs and kisses.
“XOXO” is a popular signature this time of year. The origins of the signature, however, stem from the Middle Ages. The Washington Post reported that during those times the “X” symbolized the Christian cross, and letters ended with the sign of the cross and a kiss to symbolize an oath. As the gesture became more popular in literature, letters and paperwork, it came to mean something had been “sealed with a kiss.”
26. Kids can be the real Valentine's Day winners.
Valentine's Day has typically been associated with romantic love and partnership. Interestingly enough, according to a Today show survey that polled 1,500 people, only 59% of spouses planned on giving their partners a gift, while 85% of parents planned to give their children something on February 14.
27. Lovebirds are actual birds.
While the term “lovebirds” has become a popular figure of speech, it’s also the common name for Agapornis birds. This bird is a type of parrot that is native to the continent of Africa and can be found throughout the eastern and southern regions. The animals typically travel in pairs, which is why many couples are referred to as lovebirds.
28. There is an official Valentine's Day alternative for singles.
International Quirkyalone Day is the holiday for single people on the same date. The holiday isn't an anti-Valentine's Day event, but rather a moment to celebrate self love and platonic relationships. International Quirkyalone Day has been celebrated globally since 2003.
29. William Shakespeare inspired a tradition.
Writing “letters to Juliet” has become a Valentine's Day tradition for many, and even inspired the 2010 film Letters to Juliet . Around Valentine's Day, thousands of letters are sent to Verona, Italy addressed to the Romeo and Juliet character Juliet Capulet. These love letters to Juliet are filled with emotion, passion and, in many cases, heartbreak. Volunteers, called Juliet's Secretaries, read through each letter, write responses and pick a winner of the “Cara Giulietta”(which translates to “Dear Juliet” in English) prize. The winner gets to visit Juliet's home in Verona and attend a special ceremony.
30. Four states have a city named Valentine.
Arizona, Nebraska, Texas and Virginia each have cities with the name, although Virginia adds an "s" on the end. Apparently, in Virginia and Texas, you can get special holiday postmarks at the post office, how cute is that?
