Valentine’s Day is a holiday that celebrates love and romance.  It is celebrated annually on February 14th.  Even though it isn’t a federal holiday, the day is celebrated widely in the US and many other countries.  The day is mostly celebrated by couples, whether they’re married, dating, or engaged.

Kids celebrate the day as well by giving friendship cards and candy to each other.  To celebrate, couples usually give each other gifts and go out to dinner.  Traditional gifts include cards, flowers, and chocolates.  Usually, decorations for Valentine’s Day are in red and pink colors and include Cupid and his arrow, hearts, and red roses.

No one knows where the origins of Valentine’s Day first came from.  There were many Saint Valentine’s from the early Catholic Church who were martyrs, so the day could’ve been named after any one of them.  The day eventually became associated with romance during the Middle Ages.  An English poet named Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to write a poem that linked love to the day during the 1300s.

Sending romantic cards on Valentine’s Day became very popular during the 18th century.  People made handmade cards with ribbons and lace.  They also began to use hearts and cupids as decorations.  Eventually, the holiday spread to the US and in 1847, entrepreneur Ester Howland made the first mass produced Valentine’s Day cards.

Here at Weddington, the Spanish Honors Society sells roses to be delivered on Valentine’s Day. It’s the Warrior Way of showing you care! They can be bought the week of February 7th to 11th.

Fun Facts About Valentine’s Day

1. Around 190 million cards are sent on Valentine’s Day, making it the second most popular holiday to send cards after Christmas.
2. Including the handmade cards and the cards given at school, the number of Valentine’s exchanged is around 1 billion.  Since so many students give cards, teachers receive the most cards for any profession.
3. Around 85% of Valentine’s cards are purchased by women while 73% of flowers are purchased by men.
4. The oldest love poem is said to be written on a clay tablet by the Ancient Sumerians over 5,000 years ago.  
5. Millions of pets owners buy gifts for their pets on this day.