Ah yes, February, the month of love and romance with February 14, Valentine’s  Day. The day when chocolates, roses, dinner for two and other special arrangements take center stage for loving couples of every age.  Here are a few fun facts and trivia regarding this special day that has been around for centuries.

Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day of the year for sending cards. Christmas is the first most popular.

Even with all the card s shared on the internet, still about 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year.

Red rose is a favorite flower of Venus. For this reason red rose is the symbol of Valentine’s Day. Worldwide, over 50 million roses are given for Valentine’s Day each year.

Approximately 27 percent of those who buy flowers on Valentine’s Day are women. Only 73% are men.

The origin of Valentine’s Day is traced back to the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia which was held on February 15. This day honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the legendary founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus.

Cupid is said to be the symbol of Valentines. Cupid is the son of Venus. Venus is the Roman god of love and beauty.

In order of popularity, Valentine’s Day cards are given to teachers, children, mothers, wives, sweethearts and pets.

Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentines Day candy box in the late 1800s.

Besides flowers, jewelry, etc, more than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.

220,000 is the average number of wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day each year. It is also one of the busiest marriage days of the year in Las Vegas.

California produces 60 percent of American roses, but the vast number that are sold on Valentine’s Day in the United States are imported, mostly from South America.

At least 9 million people buy their pets a gift on Valentine`s Day.  (I am not one of them!)

According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans spent $18.2 billion for Valentine’s Day in 2017 and were expected to spend $19.6 billion in 2018. Needless to say that  figure will be even more in 2020.

Both men and women prefer to receive chocolate over flowers, according to the National Confectioners Association. The survey also found that chocolate sales represent 75% or more of Valentine’s Day candy purchases.

There are four towns named Valentine in the U.S…….Valentine, Arizona; Valentine, Nebraska; Valentine, Texas and Valentine, Virginia.

There you have some fun facts and trivia about this special day. If you want to find out even more check out www.theholidayspot.com  and also www.womansday.com We hope you enjoy your Valentine’s Day with that special someone and make it a truly romantic experience. Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.