Interesting anecdotes about Valentine’s Day

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“Origin and history of the lovers’ day: Valentine’s Day”

Where does the name Valentine’s Day come from?

Find out where the name Saint Valentine comes from and all the essential information about the most romantic holiday of the year… on Custopolis-gifts.com of course…

Historians believe that the festival was celebrated in mid-February because that’s when the bird mating season begins, which explains why doves are often associated with love.

The most famous Saint Valentine is Valentine, who challenged the emperor Claudius II. If you’re not a big fan of Roman history, you should know that Claudius forbade weddings for fear that the young soldiers would be distracted.

Valentine, however, disagreed. He married many couples, secretly and illegally, until he was arrested and put to death on 14 February. So they say.

Since then, there have been many other Valentines in history.

Flowers are not the most popular Valentine’s Day gift. It’s actually jewellery. Consumers spent £112 million (around €126 million) on precious stones in 2017. According to Mintel, these little sparkly things represent more money than flowers (around 115 million euros), clothes (around 90) and cards (around 60).

But flowers are still popular and appreciated… Worldwide, some 50 million roses are given on Valentine’s Day. Single people also appreciate the trend: 15% of women send flowers to themselves on Valentine’s Day. We give roses because the red rose was the favourite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love.

The first Valentine’s Day card was sent in the 15th century by the Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. In the UK, around 25 million cards are given on Valentine’s Day. That’s more than for any other holiday except Christmas. Research shows that women buy around 85% of ALL cards sold. What a surprise!

Today, it’s a very lucrative business: according to Mintel, British lovers spent £620 million (around €700 million) on Valentine’s Day 2017, and sales this year are expected to rise by 5% to an impressive total of £650 million (around €730 million).

The oldest members of Generation Y ( between 28 and 37) spend the most money on Valentine’s Day; 60% of them bought presents worth an average of £81 (around €92) in 2017.

Men are far more generous than women; apparently men spend the most on their partners on Valentine’s Day and other special occasions, and in some cases up to £230 (€260) more than women. Time to get a grip, girls, isn’t it?

Humans aren’t the only ones who fall in love.

Every year, at least nine million people buy a Valentine’s Day present for their furry or feathered pets.

The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was introduced in 1868. Today, more than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold every year, representing a whopping 26 million kilos of chocolate.

Everything about Valentine’s Day is red, so here’s a little explanation: the heart has long been regarded as the part of the body from which love originates. The red colour of the blood that circulates through the heart has come to be associated with love.

If you’re looking for an original, personalised gift for Valentine’s Day and you’re short of ideas for a little Valentine’s gift, you’re sure to find what you’re looking for on our Gifts-custopolis.com website.

Bibliography

Yahoo life ! 13 anecdotes que vous ignorez (13 anecdotes you don’t know)