Hey everyone, and Happy Valentines Day! Last year, I did a post showcasing five Valentines Day facts, and so this year, I’m going to do five more! If you’d like to read last year’s facts, please go here!
Fact #1: Where did the tradition of giving flowers on Valentines Day come from?
According to Good Housekeeping, the tradition dates back to the 17th century, when King Charles II of Sweden learned about the “language of flowers”. Giving flowers became popular in Europe then, especially on Valentines Day, where red roses symbolized love.
Fact #2: Is Saint Valentine the patron saint over anything else besides love and happy marriages?
According to History.com, Saint Valentine is actually the patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy, the plague, fainting, and traveling, besides being the saint of love. That’s a lot of diverse things he’s saint over.
Fact #3: Is Valentines Day celebrated on any other day?
There are a lot of St. Valentines on the Roman Catholic roster, so there are actually many days one could celebrate St. Valentine on! St. Valentine of Viterbo, for example, you could celebrate on November 3rd. January 7th is another day you could celebrate it, this one celebrating St. Valentine of Raetia. A female St. Valentine was martyred on July 25th, which is another possible day to celebrate it on. Actually, the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Valentines Day twice, once on January 6th, and the other on July 30th, for two other St. Valentines.
Fact #4: How many roses are grown for Valentines Day each year?
Nearly 250 million roses are grown for Valentines Day in the US alone. Since most of the US has colder temperatures at this time of year, most of the roses are grown in Ecuador, Kenya, or Columbia and shipped to the US.
Fact #5: Do pets get gifts on Valentines Day?
According to The Pioneer Woman, in 2020, people planned to spent $1.7 billion on their pets just for Valentines Day. That’s a lot of money spent on our furry friends!
Thanks for reading these quick facts! On this day of love, we often get caught up in ourselves and our love lives (or lack of them). What we should do is focus on the One who showed us true Love, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven and gave His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). That is the greatest act of love we can see, a man laying down his life for a friend (John 15:13). God bless you all, and may you have a wonderful day. ~ Kay Adelin
Kay Adelin 