6 Things You May Not Know About Valentine's Day

• 01

  The Holiday Is Named After Saint Valentinus

  
  However, history is unsure whether Valentinus was just ONE person. One was a Roman priest, and the other a bishop of Interamna. Both were buried along the Via Flaminia (an ancient Roman road).
  
  Whether it was one or both, Valentinus is credited with performing marriages for soldiers, which was illegal during times of war. He was then imprisoned and sentenced to death.
  
  At least that's one theory, another states that Valentinus refused to make sacrifices to pegan gods and was imprisoned. During his imprisonment he healed his jailor's daughter of blindness.
  
  So, really there's a whole lot of confusion surrounding the guy, or guys, or whatever.
  Via en.wikipedia.org
• Advertisement
• 02

  How the Holiday of Love Began.

  
  The first associations of St. Valentine's Day and love came during the middle ages, around the 14th century.
  
  In 1537 the King of England Henry VII officially declared Febuary 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's.
  
  But, it wasn't till the 18th century when giving your beloved flowers and greeting cards. They even gave out St. Valentine's Keys to one another symbolizing unlocking each other's hearts. How sweet.
  Via Wikipedia
• 03

  Cupid Was a Jerk.

  
  Well, he was a jerk to Apollo at least. You see, Cupid carries two kinds of arrows. One has a golden tip and incites strong feelings of desire, while the second has a lead tip and causes a strong sense of aversion and must flee.
  
  Cupid shot Apollo with one of his golden arrows which caused Apollo to greatly desire and lust after the nymph Daphne. But, because Cupid is a tiny winged bastard he shot Daphne with the lead arrow, making her disgusted and terrified of Apollo. And, what happened when Apollo finally had Daphne cornered? Well, she called out to her father Peneus (who was a river god), and he turned her into a laurel.
  
  This really irritated Apollo, since it's rather difficult to make out with a laurel.
  Via Wikipedia
• 04

  The Heart Shaped Box Originated in 1822

  
  Richard Cadbury, first packaged his father's chocolates in a heart shaped box for Valentine's Day.
  
  I do no know when the Cadbury eggs were first made, I need to find that out.
  
  It's estimated that around 35 million of those heart shaped boxes will be purchased for Valentine's this year.
  Via SF Citizen
• Advertisement
• 05

  Roses and Love Have Always Gone Hand in Hand.

  
  Ok, so maybe not always but roses have long been associated with love in a variety of cultures. And were a favorite flower of Venus, consistently used in ceremonies honoring her.
  
  Though, to be fair, roses have also stood as symbols for a variety of other things, such as secrets and socialism.
  Via In Habitat
• 06

  Valentine's Day Can Be Expensive

  
  "Well, duh" you might say.
  
  But the average american spends $116 on Valentine's Day. That better be some seriously tasty chocolates.
  
  And it's only going to get more expensive if you plan on proposing, and at least 220,000 of you are. That's a hell of a lot of engagement rings.
  Via Rappler

Tags