Happy Valentine's Day!
Have you ever wondered how St Valentine's Day came about? Here are a few things I discovered.
The Victorians considered it bad luck if a Valentine's card was signed.
In Medieval times, young maidens would consume an array of strange foods in the hope of seeing their future love.
Wearing your heart on your sleeve is an expression believed to have originated in Medieval times when young men and women would wear a name, selected from a bowl, on their sleeve for a week for all to see.
King Henry VII declared February 14th the holiday of St Valentine in 1537
Chocolate became synonymous with St Valentines' Day when Physicians of 1800's suggested it would calm pining for lost love. The first box of Valentine chocolates was produced in the late 1800's.
Why a red rose? It was the favourite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of Love.
Do you have any fun facts you can add?
Yes, a certain brilliant romance writer has her birthday on St Valentine's Day. Happy birthday, Rachael! My youngest son was also a Valentine baby.
ReplyDeleteI've been trawling the net and come up with this: The most popular theory about Valentine's Day origin is that Emperor Claudius II didn't want Roman men to marry during wartime. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret weddings. For this, Valentine was jailed and executed. While in jail he wrote a note to the jailor's daughter signing it "from your Valentine".
Also, apparently 3% of pet owners will send their pets Valentine's cards or gifts today. I'm one of the other 97% so that either makes me mean or sane, depending on your point of view! xx
Hi Sharon, I'm also one of the 97%! Thanks for adding more fun facts and the birthday wishes. xx
Delete