Unknown facts about V-Day

While people often think that Valentine’s Day is something that only the post-80s generation celebrates, the origins of the day actually date back to the early Roman Empire.

During the ancient Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia, which took place from Fevruary 13 to 15, a man would draw a young woman’s name from a lottery and keep her as his sexual partner for a year.

In 1537, King Henry VIII declared by Royal Charter that England would celebrate February 14 as Saint Valentine’s Day.

With the passage of time, it became the traditional date for exchanging love messages and simple gifts such as flowers or candy.
Saint Valentine became the accepted patron saint of lovers.

Wearing your heart on your sleeve… After Shakespear’s interpretation of “Wearing your heart on your sleeve”, the phrase took on a rather negative connotation.  But in the Middle Ages, it was rather literal, as young men and women wore the names of their partners on their sleeves for a week after Valentine’s Day.

What do the roses mean? We all know the basics of what the colours of a rose mean – red roses signify love, pink for a relationship that’s just starting out, and yellow for friendship. It turns out there’s also orange roses for fascination, coral for desire, dark-pink for gratitude, and peach-pink for admiration.  There are also black roses for death, but we doubt anyone’s going to use those for V-Day.

Pets and V-Day… Let’s face it, for lots of people, their pets are the most important part of their life (sometimes more than other people). It turns out that about nine million people splurge on their furry companions on this day each year.

Single people need some fun too… Dateless on Valentine’s Day? You’re not alone. In fact, so many people share this fate that February 15 has become Singles Awareness Day (which leads to the ironic acronym of SAD), where single people celebrate being by themselves. On this day, people send flowers to themselves, throw parties and exchange gifts with other single people.

Chocolates and heartbreak… We’re all familiar with the cure for a bad break-up – chocolates and a good chick flick. In the 1800s, however, chocolate was part of any doctor’s prescription, as physicians would advise pations to eat the treat to feel better after having lost a loved one.

Popping the question… Not surprisingly, V-Day is one of the most popular days to pop the question. An estimated 220,000 proposals take place on what is considered to be the most romantic day of the year. So let your love be known, be it to your friend or furry friend or lover – this is the day to celebrate that love!