Interesting Facts About Valentine’s Day You Might Now Have Known

Everyone associates Valentine’s Day with flowers, chocolates, and spending time with that significant other. But there are plenty of other things about this couple-oriented special occasion that you might not necessarily have known about!

Valentine’s Day Began With the Romans

As if the Italians weren’t already own as the romantic type, this tidbit of info just solidifies that fact. Valentine’s Day indeed began with the Romans, but there are actually two different theories about it. The first is that Valentine’s Day is derived from Lupercalia, a Roman festival that took place every February 15 when men would strip naked and spank young single ladies (yikes!) in an effort to increase their fertility.

The other theory is that Roman Emperor Claudius II forbade young men to get married when the army was in the midst of building up. St. Valentine went against this ban, and went so far as to perform secret marriages. He was executed for this disobedience on February 14, and the date has since become known as St. Valentine’s Day.

Cadbury is Responsible For the Chocolates Handed Out

You can’t celebrate Valentine’s Day without exchanging chocolates. The two are virtually synonymous with each other. But did you know that world-renowned chocolatier Cadbury is the mastermind behind this association? Richard Cadbury from the company of the same name is responsible for the earliest box of Valentine chocolates when he gave some to his significant other in a heart-shaped box way back in 1868.

Wearing Your “Heart On Your Sleeve” Was an Actual Thing!

Back in the Middle Ages, young women and men would draw names to see who their special Valentine would be. After drawing the name, they’d wear it pinned on their sleeves for a week in order for everyone to see who they had special feelings for.

The Chinese Had a Different Spin in the Holiday

While Valentine’s Day is really meant to celebrate love found, the Chinese version is about lost love. The Qixi Festival is a celebration of love that’s based on a love story between a cowherd and a weaver girl. While the cowherd was a mortal human being, the weaver girl was a celestial being.

While they fell in love and had kids together, they were forced apart until the end of days. In pity, magpies formed a bridge for them each year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar, which briefly reunited the lovers and their children. The tradition is now known as the Magpie Festival, or simply Chinese Valentine’s Day.

Regardless of the stories behind Valentine’s Day, one thing is for certain: it’s important to celebrate your significant other, and cherish the love between the two of you. And while material things will never substitute real love and affection, they can be a gesture to show how much you care for one another! This year, get your loved one a Valentines Day gift baskets from CanadasGiftBaskets.ca! Order yours in time for the big day!

By | January 26, 2016 8:55 am | | 0 Comments

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