Valentine’s Day historical facts:

-Ancient Roman fertility festival was the beginning of Christianizing the celebration of Valentine’s Day (based on a pagan fertility festival Lupercalia)

-St. Valentine was a common name for Christian Clerics

-Saint Valentine was a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men

-February 14th was the day for honoring St. Valentine

-In the 1300s it became official

-In the 17th century people in Great Britain began exchanging cards for Valentine’s Day

-Valentine’s Day is the second most popular holiday to Christmas

-Americans spend $130/per person per year on Valentine’s Day

-$14B is the total spent on Valentine’s Day

-6 million couples will get engaged on Valentine’s Day

-150 million is the amount of cards exchanged every Valentine’s Day

-Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America in the 1800s

-180 million roses are exchanged annually

-160 million heart-shaped boxes of candy are given

-62% of Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day