The Driftwood #41: Fun Facts #2

February 9, 2024

Fun Valentine’s Day Facts

• Valentine’s Day came from the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia that went from February 13 – 15, which is thought to have honored the Roman fertility god Lupercus. Many rituals were performed throughout the festival, such as animal sacrifice and whipping women with strips of goat hide.
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• Red and white are the chosen colors of Valentine’s Day because they represent the blood sacrifice of the animals (red) and the milk used to cleanse the blood (white), from the festival of Lupercalia.
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• “Wearing your heart on your sleeve” means something different from the phrase’s original connotation. In the third century, Roman Emperor Claudius II didn’t want his soldiers weakened by romantic relationships, so they would draw a name of a woman at the festival Juno, who would be their partner for the year. Soldiers would then wear the name of the woman on the sleeve of their shirt to show their bond until a new woman was selected at the next festival.
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• Saint Valentine was beheaded on February 14, 270 A.D for performing marriages in secret. Even though marriage was against the law, he would still marry couples who were in love. After his imprisonment, Claudius told Valentine to renounce his faith or die. Valentine refused to reject Christianity and was sentenced to death by Claudius.
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• Based on discovered texts, there were three saints named Valentine who died or were executed on February 14th. The one celebrated on Valentine’s Day is St. Valentine of Rome.
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• An estimated six-million proposals happen annually on Valentine’s Day. Although the reasons that people want to get engaged on such a cliché day seem to vary, millions take the leap each year.
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• Within the weeks surrounding Valentine’s Day, there is an almost 40% increase in divorces. Many couples tend to wait until after the holidays to investigate what is needed for filing or to actually file for divorce because they don’t want to disappoint families. Some couples also seem to look at Valentine’s Day as a last chance to save their marriage.
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• Almost half of Americans (48%) feel that Valentine’s Day is an overrated holiday. Married couples and singles make up the majority of the group that feels this way.
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• Singles Awareness Day is celebrated on February 15th to rejoice in the love you have for yourself, your family, and your friends. The origins trace back to high-school student Dustin Barnes and a group of friends who in 2001 celebrated being single and their friendship, with discounted Valentine’s candy the day after the holiday. They called it Singles Awareness Day to ironically take advangage of the acronym SAD, which single people on Valentine’s Day were thought to be. Dustin carried on the tradition at college, even getting the copyright in 2005, and his made-up holiday has continued to grow.
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• On average one out of four Americans buy presents for their pets on Valentine’s Day. 27% of people buying Valentine gifts included their pet in the list of recipients. This increase is said to be linked to Valentine’s Day becoming less about couple love and more about celebrating all the love in your life.