We all know February 14 as Valentine’s Day or The Day of Love, a day where we celebrate the love we share with our partners or sweethearts. As couples across the globe start to prepare for this much anticipated holiday, let’s take a look at some little known facts surrounding this event.
Letters to Juliet
Every year, thousands of hopeless romantics and fans of the Shakespearean classic “Romeo and Juliet”, send letters to Verona, Italy addressed to Juliet. Every letter, whether it be a love letter or a story of life, is answered by the members of the Juliet Club in the name of one the world’s most famous romance characters. Every year on Valentine’s Day, the club awards the “Cara Giulietta” or “Dear Juliet” to the author of the most beautiful and touching love letter. If you wish to partake in this sweet tradition, visit the Juliet Club website at julietclub.com.
The First “Valentine”
The first recorded use of the word Valentine was in a short poem written by Charles the Duke of Orléans in 1415, while imprisoned. In the poem, Charles uses the word Valentine to refer to his wife. He was sadly imprisoned for 25 years and was never able to see his wife’s reaction to the letter.
My very gentle Valentine,
Since for me you were born too soon,
And I for you was born too late.
God forgives him who has estranged
Me from you for the whole year.
I am already sick of love,
My very gentle Valentine.
Read more on: History’s Oldest-Known Valentine Was Written in Prison
Million Cards for Billions
According to Hallmark, approximately 145 million Valentine Cards are exchanged worldwide, aside from the ones exchanged by students in the classroom. This makes Valentine’s Day the second largest holiday, after Christmas, for gifting cards. If you rack up all these cards plus the gifts and dates that come along with them, the National Retail Foundation has estimated that in 2021, U.S. adults will be spending a total of $21.8 billion dollars. The second most purchased item will be candy, trailing closely behind Valentine’s Day Cards.
“Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve”
This phrase is commonly used to refer to the act of being emotionally available and expressive of one’s emotion. This phrase originated from the Middle Ages after Emperor Caludius II declared marriage illegal and established temporary coupling. Men would draw a name during the festival of Juno and would wear her name on his sleeve to signal the lady with which he would be spending the upcoming year. During the same time, a knight participating in a jousting match would dedicate his performance to a woman of the court. The knight would wrap an article of the woman around his arm so the court would know the match would defend the honor of the woman.
Read more on: The Origins of Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve