Valentine’s Day is about to arrive! The fragrance of spring is already in the air. We all know Valentine’s Day is the special day for lovers to celebrate the value of love, exchange gifts and promise to be with each other.
However, they are some interesting fact about Valentine’s not commonly known. Check out some fun facts about this festival of lovers’:
1. In Japan and Korea, it’s only females’ responsibility to give handmade chocolates to their special ones on Valentine’s Day (14th February). They give this token of love (handmade chocolates) only to the man they consider as ‘special’. Men reciprocate these gestures of love with gifts on the White Day, celebrated on 14th March.
2. In Saudi Arabia, any Valentine’s Day celebration is a clear no-no. You cannot share gifts, flowers or chocolates on 14th February. Also you can’t wear, gift or sell anything in red (flowers, hearts etc) on Valentine’s Day.
3. In Finland, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about the lovers. Even close friends share gifts and cards. If you do not have a partner to celebrate Valentine’s Day, think Finnish and gift some goodies to your close friends.
4. Over 50 million roses are used on Valentine’s Day every year.
5. On every Valentine’s Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s legendary characters Romeo and Juliet lived, draws an influx of around 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.
6. It was Richard Cadbury who had first introduced the Valentine’s Day box of chocolates in 1868.
7. The first Valentine’s cards were dispatched from prison cells. Saint Valentine was imprisoned in Rome when he fell in love for jailer’s daughter. From the prison he wrote his first love letter for his beloved, which was signed ‘From your Valentine’. This is where the tradition of referring your beloved as ‘Valentine’ began from.
