Did You Ever Wonder How Valentine’s Day Started? Although there are several theories about the origin of Valentine's Day, the most popular one is that it all started back at the time of the Roma

Did You Ever Wonder How Valentine’s Day Started?

Although there are several theories about the origin

of Valentine's Day, the most popular one is that it all started back at the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, 270 A.D.

The Emperor Claudius didn't want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers.

Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. Claudius had Valentine jailed and then executed on Feb. 14^th.

While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor's daughter, signing it, "From your Valentine."

Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day:

It is believed that the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn't write their names signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show their sincerity.
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."
In 1537, King Henry VII of England officially declared Feb. 14th the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.

Here’s how Chocolate ties into Valentine’s Day:

Casanova, well known as "The World's Greatest Lover," ate chocolate to make him virile.
Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.
Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800s.
More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day.
Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine's Day in the U.S.

And let’s not forget about Flowers

73 percent of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
15 percent of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

And Especially Red Roses:

Red roses are considered the flower of love because the color red stands for strong romantic feelings.
189 million stems of roses are sold in the U.S. on Valentine's Day.
California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the greater number sold on Valentine's Day in the U.S. are imported, mostly from South America.
Approximately 110 million roses, mostly red, will be sold and delivered within the three-day Valentine's Day time period.

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