Valentine’s Day, that annual event that gets people excited both romantically and financially. A day full of love, flowers, and the color red. The world would truly be a better place if every day was Valentine’s Day. However, unfortunately, that’s not how the world works. It is a day that many celebrate but very few know how the day came to be.
Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day: A Pagan Fertility Festival
According to historians, Valentine’s Day was a pagan fertility festival that started in Ancient Rome. So to signify their fertility, the women had to be whipped with animal hides till they bled and animals got sacrificed. It was actually a holiday. Not so romantic, huh?Fast forward to the 1300s: A New Valentine’s Day!
To much dispute, the holiday got Christianized and 14th of February was chosen for the day’s celebrations because it is believed that doves and all birds, in general, start their mating season in the middle of February. Know you know why doves are associated with love.Plot Twist: Valentine was not one person.
We all know there have been a lot of saints dating way back in history, and at that time there were actually three Saint Valentines but the one who founded Valentine’s Day, was the Saint Valentine who did not agree with Emperor Claudius the second’s decision to ban marriages. Why he banned marriages? Because his young soldiers were getting distracted. Seriously Claudius?Despite the ban, Saint Valentine continued to marry young couples illegally until the day Claudius caught up with him and he was thrown in jail where young couples used to visit him every day with flowers and cards until he was sentenced to death, ironically, on the 14th of February.
One of the St. Valentines later became the pope in 872 A.D. but he only served a period of 40 days.
Cards and Love Letters
It was not until the 17th century that people started exchanging love letters and flowers; however, Valentine’s Day cards caught on much later in the 1840s when they started being mass produced.Cash Cow?
About 50% of the populations celebrate the day of love, with an annual expenditure estimated at a whopping $18.2 billion, and that doesn’t include confectioneries like candy and chocolates. Statistics show that the average man splurges 150$ (around 15,500Kshs) on Valentine’s Day, while the women spend just $74 (around 7,700Kshs). These are rookie numbers ladies!It’s a Doggy Dog world
Nearly 9 million Americans buy gifts and/or cards for their dogs. Hmmm…. Love is love I guess.Let’s get laid!
A survey carried out by Durex shows that condom sales tend to go up by up to 30% during the days that surround Valentine’s Day. (Truly a month of love) On the same breath, at-home pregnancy tests sales spike in the month of March than any other month of the year!Roses are red, Violets are blue
The most popular Valentine’s Day gift of choice all around the world is flowers, which is closely followed by chocolates and then jewelry. It is estimated that a mind-boggling 220 billion roses are sold worldwide. Red roses are always the safest bet when it comes to all matters love.Will you marry me?
Every year, almost 6 million couples get engaged on Valentine’s Day. Putting the month of February second after December, in the months of the year that have the most marriage proposals. Here is a list of 10 celebrities who proposed or got married on Valentine’s Day.Self Love?
According to a report on Valentine’s Day statistics, 15% of women send flowers to themselves on Valentine’s Day while 20% receive flowers from their parents and or guardians.Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
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