The history of Valentine’s Day
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