There are such a lot of shocking information about Valentine’s Day! Would you imagine that the primary valentine was despatched within the fifteenth century or that candies was once prescribed by medical doctors? Find out about these Valentine’s Day enjoyable information and extra with this record—excellent for sharing together with your college students!
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The Historical past of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has its origins in a Roman vacation.
Within the sixth century BC in February, Romans would have a good time the fertility pageant of Lupercalia by sacrificing animals and performing different rituals.
Pope Gelasius banned the celebration of Lupercalia.
Within the fifth century, Pope Gelasius forbade the Pagan fertility celebration of Lupercalia. Some say he changed it with “St. Valentine’s Day,” although nobody is aware of the precise origins of the vacation for sure.
The primary Valentine’s Day celebration passed off in France.
Though the precise first celebration is tough to pin down, the primary official Valentine’s Day as a celebration of affection possible occurred in Paris within the 1400s. The English and French related mid-February with birds’ mating season, making it an acceptable time to have a good time romance.
The primary valentine was despatched from jail.
The Duke of Orleans wrote the primary valentine within the early fifteenth century whereas he was imprisoned. He wrote a poem and despatched it to his second spouse, however, in fact, he by no means noticed her response to the poem he despatched as a result of he was in jail.
Esther Howland offered the primary mass-produced valentines within the nineteenth century.
The customized of buying and selling valentines appears to have begun in Europe and the United States within the 18th century, however some legends attribute the change of affectionate greetings to St. Valentine himself within the 1840s, Esther Howland of Massachusetts offered the primary mass-produced Valentine’s Day playing cards. Howland’s father owned a stationery retailer, and he or she took benefit of the chance to promote fancy greeting playing cards.
Individuals within the Victorian period used valentines to discourage suitors.
Through the Victorian period, individuals who didn’t need consideration would ship “vinegar valentines” or “penny dreadfuls.” They had been meant as an insult to undesirable admirers.
Historians credit score the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer with connecting romance to Valentine’s Day.
Chaucer, who additionally authored The Canterbury Tales, wrote about Valentine’s Day in The Parliament of Foules.
Candy Details About Valentine’s Day
The inventor of sweet hearts began out by producing medicinal lozenges.
Within the 1800s, Boston pharmacist Oliver Chase invented a machine to simplify the method of constructing lozenges. The machine was later used to make heart-shaped sweet with messages printed on them. Be taught extra about how Sweethearts are made on this video.
8 billion dialog hearts are manufactured every year.
So many dialog hearts! Basic romantic phrases on the candies embrace “Be Mine,” “Cutie Pie,” and “I’m Yours.” Billions of sweet hearts went unproduced in 2019 when the corporate that made Sweethearts was offered, leading to a conversation-heart–much less Valentine’s Day.
Shoppers purchase over 58 million kilos of chocolate and sweet for Valentine’s Day.
The Valentine’s Day season represents about $4 billion in confectionery gross sales every year.
The chocolate field has been round for greater than 150 years.
Within the mid-1800s, the Cadbury firm took benefit of falling import prices and created the primary field of candies. They subsequently created the primary heart-shaped field of candies within the 1860s.
Docs as soon as prescribed chocolate to repair a damaged coronary heart.
This can be one of the crucial shocking Valentine’s Day information: Physicians within the previous days would suggest chocolate to individuals who had been affected by a damaged coronary heart or pining after a misplaced love. Trendy drugs helps the declare.
In Japan, girls give males chocolate for Valentine’s Day.
Girls give males candies in Japan, though they’ve pushed again towards this custom, arguing that it’s too compulsory.
Flowers on Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is among the largest holidays for giving flowers.
For those who’re giving flowers this Valentine’s Day, you’re in good firm. The opposite prime flower-giving vacation is Mom’s Day.
Every flower’s coloration has that means.
Crimson roses symbolize love, however different flower colours have that means too. Deep pink symbolizes happiness, purple = royalty, and white = sincerity.
250 million roses are grown only for Valentine’s Day.
Giving pink roses on Valentine’s Day turned a part of in style tradition within the Victorian period. However the observe of assigning symbolic that means to things present in nature goes again to historic occasions.
Roses are within the prime 10% of U.S. imports.
In 2024, the US imported $1.01 billion in roses, making roses the 497th most imported product (out of 5,488) in the US. In 2024, the primary origins of the US’ rose imports included Colombia ($581M), Ecuador ($400M), Guatemala ($18.2M), Mexico ($5.17M), and Ethiopia ($2.42M).
Valentine’s Day by the Numbers
Most Individuals will purchase presents, playing cards, or treats for Valentine’s Day.
About 80% of customers in the US plan to buy Valentine’s Day, making Individuals unmatched within the realm of Valentine’s Day buying. Candy!
About 25% of pet homeowners give Valentine’s Day presents to their pets.
Valentines usually are not only for people however for canine, cats, bunnies, birds, and different pets!
U.S. pet homeowners spend over $2 billion per yr on valentines for his or her pets.
Not solely will 1 / 4 of pet homeowners buy valentines for his or her furry mates, Individuals collectively spend over $2 billion within the course of!
Males spend greater than girls on Valentine’s Day.
In actual fact, males spend about 25% extra cash than girls do on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day Playing cards
145 million greeting playing cards are exchanged yearly for Valentine’s Day.
And that’s simply in the US, in line with Hallmark! Over 1 billion valentines are despatched worldwide, in line with this video from Homeschool Pop.
Hallmark prints greater than 500 Valentine’s Day card designs.
Hallmark makes greater than 500 Valentine’s card choices, so there’s actually one thing for everybody.
Lecturers get extra valentines than anybody else.
We respect academics too so that is one Valentine’s Day undeniable fact that comes as no shock to us! Lecturers obtain extra valentines than even kids, wives, and mothers!
Valentines are a lot plainer than they was once.
Within the nineteenth century, Valentine’s Day playing cards had been at their peak. Individuals embellished valentines with every thing from peacock feathers to lace to jewels!
Hallmark was the primary greeting card firm to go nationwide.
Hallmark founder Joyce Clyde Corridor was the first to promote greeting playing cards nationally. He ran an advert in Women’ Dwelling Journal and in addition sponsored radio advertisements.
On This Date …
The League of Girls Voters was formally fashioned on February 14, 1920.
The League was fashioned in Chicago simply six months previous to when the nineteenth Modification to the U.S. Structure granted girls the correct to vote.
Oregon and Arizona each turned states on Valentine’s Day.
Oregon (in 1859) and Arizona (in 1912) turned states on Valentine’s Day.
Alexander Graham Bell filed his patent for the phone on Valentine’s Day.
Alexander Graham Bell submitted paperwork to the patent workplace on February 14, 1876. The patent was granted on March 7, 1876.
First woman Jacqueline Kennedy gave a televised tour of the White Home on Valentine’s Day.
On Valentine’s Day 1962, CBS aired a particular tour of the renovated public rooms within the White Home hosted by in style first woman Jackie Kennedy. Fifty-six million viewers watched from dwelling!
Of the 365 attainable birthdays, February 14 is the 63rd most typical birthday.
Being born on Valentine’s Day is surprisingly frequent!
Valentine’s Day is among the hottest days to “pop the query.”
In keeping with a survey from Marriage ceremony Wire, Valentine’s Day was the preferred day in 2020. After Valentine’s Day, in style dates are New Yr’s Day, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the Fourth of July.
The unique Dracula film was launched on Valentine’s Day.
On Valentine’s Day in 1931, the authentic model of the film Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, was launched by Common Footage.
Different Valentine’s Day Details
Many nations all through the world have a good time Valentine’s Day.
America, Britain, Canada, Australia, Argentina, France, Mexico, South Korea, and the Philippines all have a good time the day of affection.
Mass weddings are a Valentine’s Day custom within the Philippines.
The federal government funds the mass weddings so they’re free for the {couples}, other than registering to get married.
Greater than 40% of {couples} look ahead to eating out on February 14.
There’s nothing like a juicy filet mignon or a pile of crab legs to fire up somewhat romance. To that finish, statistics present that 42% of {couples} will dine out at their favourite restaurant on Valentine’s Day.
There are numerous motion pictures about Valentine’s Day.
Quite a few motion pictures are both set on or round Valentine’s Day or have the vacation of their title. Surprisingly, many of those movies are horror motion pictures!
In actual fact, the highest-grossing film of all time is a love story.
The film that made essentially the most cash of all time was the historic romance Titanic, which introduced in $2,201,647,264, in line with IMDb.
California is the state with essentially the most chocolatiers.
The state has 130 chocolate makers, adopted by Pennsylvania with 118.
There was a couple of Saint Valentine.
The Catholic Church acknowledges three totally different Saint Valentines (or Valentinus). Every of the Saint Valentines was martyred and will have impressed the vacation.
The primary title Valentine was hottest in 1922.
The Official Social Safety web site has tracked the highest 1,000 child names yearly because the early 1900s. The primary title Valentine, which is extra in style for boys, hasn’t cracked the highest 1,000 since 1955. The title hit its peak recognition in 1922, with 132 infants named Valentine that yr.
Many well-known singers, together with Frank Sinatra, have coated the present tune “My Humorous Valentine.”
This well-known track is from the 1937 musical Babes in Arms. Elvis Costello, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and lots of others have all coated it.
4 U.S. states have cities named Valentine.
You possibly can dwell in a city named Valentine in Arizona, Nebraska, Texas, or Virginia (it’s truly “Valentines” in Virginia).
Lovebirds are precise birds.
The time period “lovebirds” describes a pair in love. It’s additionally the frequent title for the Agapornis chicken.
63% of us will ship a Valentine’s Day textual content.
Texting is the brand new Valentine’s Day card. Most individuals mentioned they may textual content family members on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day is not only for {couples} anymore.
Valentine’s Day now celebrates all types of affection—friendships, household, and self-love—popularized by traits like Galentine’s Day. The vacation debuted on a 2010 episode of the TV present Parks and Recreation, beginning an enormous wave of girlfriend spending. The Nationwide Retail Federation states that since 2015, Galentine’s reward bills have greater than doubled to $2.1 billion.
An alternative choice to Valentine’s Day is Quirkyalone Day.
Invented in 2003 by writer Sasha Cagen, Quirkyalone Day embraces a philosophy of non-public contentment. A “quirkyalone” is an individual who feels complete as a single and prefers to attend for the correct particular person to return alongside somewhat than relationship indiscriminately. The motion celebrates freedom and risk.
The pink coronary heart is among the most-used emojis.
The pink coronary heart is a traditional emoji, and in 2024, it was up there with “crying with laughter” and “coronary heart eyes” within the prime three emojis.
Cupid was a Greek god.
We all know him as a chubby, arrow-shooting child, however Cupid was truly a good-looking Greek god in mythology whose magical arrows may make mortals fall in love or hate. He turned the face of Valentine’s Day within the nineteenth century.
Yearly, 1000’s of individuals ship letters to Juliet from Romeo and Juliet.
Individuals write letters to Juliet, star-crossed lover from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and ship them to Verona, Italy. The Juliet Membership is a gaggle of volunteers in Verona who reply to the letters.
Instructing Concepts for Utilizing Valentine’s Day Details
Listed here are 5 enjoyable concepts from third grade instructor Stephanie Sanders for utilizing our Valentine’s Day enjoyable information.
Play 4 Corners Trivia
Preview our Valentine’s Day information. Then create multiple-choice trivia questions with 4 attainable solutions per query on observe playing cards or as a projectable slideshow. Higher but, after viewing the Valentine’s Day Details slideshow as a complete class, have every scholar decide their favourite truth and give you 4 attainable solutions and write them on an index card. Acquire the playing cards.
Earlier than taking part in the sport, designate every of the 4 corners of the room as a distinct letter selection (A, B, C, and D). Utilizing your deck, learn one query with the reply decisions aloud. College students could have 30 to 60 seconds to go to the nook that corresponds to the reply they assume is appropriate. Repeat as many rounds as you’d like.
Dialog Hearts
All of us love sweet hearts this time of yr, so why not have college students create their very own to make use of for studying about Valentine’s Day? Give college students six building paper coronary heart shapes in pink and pink (or higher but, have them lower out the hearts themselves). College students will write one favourite truth from the Valentine’s Day information and embellish each. Use the dialog hearts to play numerous video games the place they will share their information with each other, such because the Kagan-inspired mix-pair-share recreation beneath.
Mingle and Be taught
Give every scholar one of many dialog hearts from the exercise above. Placed on some music and let college students combine across the room to the beat. When the music stops or the instructor calls “pair,” college students pair up with the classmate closest to them. Give them time to share their truth and chat, then flip the music on as soon as once more. This may be repeated a number of occasions, ensuring college students pair up with a distinct classmate every spherical.
Heat Fuzzies
These super-cute, easy-to-make little nuggets are similar to those from again within the day. You’ll need the next: pink and pink pom-poms, googly eyes, and matching colours of building paper. (Throw in some purple for enjoyable if you want!) College students (or the instructor, relying on the age of scholars) will lower small coronary heart shapes and little, rectangular-shaped strips from the development paper. Glue the pom-poms onto the underside of the center shapes to make ft, then glue the googly eyes onto the pom-pom to create the little heat and fuzzy creature. Final, write a truth on the slip of paper and affix it to the center form.
Valentine Class Scavenger Hunt
Make taking part in playing cards by writing a broad class featured on the record on each, reminiscent of sweet information, historic information, flower information, Valentine’s information by the numbers, and happenings on February 14. Every time you decide a card, have your college students work in small teams with their computer systems or tablets to seek out as many associated trivia information from the slideshow as attainable for the associated class. Give college students 5 minutes per class to seek out and write down their information. You possibly can broaden on the sport by having college students use outdoors sources, too, to seek out the associated information. See which group finds essentially the most associated information every spherical!
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