A Box of Valentine's Day Trivia

Roses, chocolates, cards to your sweetest. Romance comes alive every February 14. Sure, you know that life is like a box of chocolates, but just how much do you know about the holiday? Here's trivia for you: 

  • In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. Hence the contemporary term, "to wear your heart on your sleeve."

  • During the Middle Ages, Europeans believed that birds chose their mates each year on February 14. So, some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

  • Some people said if you found a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved would have the other matching glove.

 • Some believed the first man's name you read in the paper or heard would be the name of the man you will marry.

  • Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed, Take a breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count the seeds that remain on the stem, and that is number of children you will have.

  • Cut an apple in half and count how may seeds are inside. You can also tell how how many children you will have.

  • Verona, Italy, where Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.

  • Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentine's Day candy box in the late 1800s.

  • Valentine's Day is the biggest time of year for red roses. Most of the roses sold on February 14 are imported from South America.

  • Valentine's Day has the highest percentage of male card buyers, compared to other holidays where women purchase more cards.

  • Teachers get the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives and then sweethearts.

© Utah Holiday Guide, 2005. All Rights Reserved. 
Produced by Newspaper Agency Corporation, advertising agent for The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret Morning News.