Get in the mood for love with interesting facts about the sweet-smelling holiday that’s just a day away. Love it, hate it or ignore it, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Whether you’re constantly single or happily coupled up, probabilities are you have a thing or two to learn about love. Read on for surprising stats and astonishing info about the holiday.
The heart shape was not always a symbol of love
Before the 14th century, the shape we call a heart used to symbolise the anatomical heart, generally believed to be humans’ centre of reminiscence, according to Time. It was not until Italian and French artists started supporting the idea of romantic love that the St. Valentine heart became equal with love.
It’s not the most popular holiday for greeting cards
According to the data given by Greeting Card Association, 190 million Valentine’s Day cards are swapped annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most widespread greeting card–giving occasion, after Christmas.
Single ladies have a virtuous shot at finding a date
There are 119 single men—never married, widowed or divorced—in their 20s for every 100 single women of the same age.
True love is deceptively not that hard to find
Over two million marriages take place in India every year. Which means there are more than 6,000 a day!
Roses are the florae of love
The favourite flower of Venus, the Roman deity of love? The red rose, of course. The bud stands for solid romantic feelings, so it’s no shock they make up the most popular Valentine’s Day bouquets.
“Wearing your heart on your sleeve” is not just a phrase
In the Middle Ages, young men and women described names to see who their Valentine would be. They would wear the name pinned to their sleeve for the week so that everybody would know their supposed true feelings.
The practice of Chocolates was there before for more than 140 years
One of the first Valentine’s Day boxes of chocolate made known to by Richard Cadbury in 1868.
