Valentine's Day

Fun Facts About Valentine's Day

• Valentine's Day originated from a blend of ancient Roman, pagan and Christian festivals. The poet Chaucer first linked February 14 to romance in the 1370s, but it wasn't until the 1840s that mass-produced Valentine's cards first appeared in the U.S.
• Richard Cadbury introduced the first heart-shaped box of chocolates in 1861 as a marketing idea to sell more candy.
• In the Middle Ages, people drew names from a hat on Valentine's Day to pair up for games and dancing. Particpants would often wear the name of their chosen partner pinned to their sleeve — the origin of the phrase "Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve."
• Around 145 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually in the U.S. alone. It's the second-largest seasonal card-sending holiday after Christmas, with total market value exceeding $1 billion.
• Men typically outspend women on Valentine's Day (on average, about $248 to $115). That's because men are twice as likely to spend over $100 on more expensive gifts like jewelry, fine dining and flowers.
• Over 250 million roses are grown and sold globally for Valentine's Day each year. About 70% of these are red roses.
• About 20% of women send flowers to themselves on Valentine's Day. But if they are teachers, they likely don't have to: grade K–6 teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards of any profession.
• Research shows over 25% of people who celebrate Valentine's Day do so with their pets, buying them treats or toys.