Valentine's Day are hearts, red roses and cupid

Gradually, this date was seen as an occasion for a man to present gifts to a woman with whom he had or would like to have had a romantic relationship. It was also customary for lovers to exchange handwritten notes.

On February 14th wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on Valentine's Day in Wales. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite Valentine decorations on the wooden spoons. This Valentine decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"

The most common symbols of valentine's day are heart shapes, which are used to decorate many things, including cards, trees, wrapping paper, cookies and gift boxes.

About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.Teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Only one-third of all valentine cards are accompanied by gifts.

More than 50% of cards are sold the week of the holiday, with the largest and most elaborate valentine cards sold 48 hours before February 14.

During a typical Valentine’s Day season, more than 36 million heart shaped boxes of candy will be given and received. Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentines Day candy box in the late 1800s.

Men buy most of the millions of boxes of candy and bouquets of flowers given on Valentine’s Day.

California produces 60% of American roses, but the vast majority sold on Valentine’s Day in the United States are imported. Will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period during the Valentine’s Day celebrations.

The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.


Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, an "improvement in telegraphy", on Valentine’s Day, 1876.