Facts about Valentine's Day

The Price of Love

♥Men spend almost twice as much on Valentine’s Day as women do.

♥More than one-third of men would prefer not receiving a gift. Less than 20 percent of women feel the same way.

♥Around this season, a dozen long-stemmed roses can cost an average of 30% more than the normal price.

♥More than nine million pet owners are expected to buy gifts for their pets this Valentine's Day.

♥15 percent of women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

The Birds and the Bees

♥According to the condom company Durex, condom sales are highest around Valentine's Day, which are 20 percent to 30 percent higher than usual.

♥More at-home pregnancy tests are sold in March than in any other month.

The Choo Choo Choose You

♥Teachers receive the most valentines, followed by kids, mothers, wives and sweethearts.

♥Over 50 percent of all Valentine's Day cards are purchased in the six days prior to the holiday.

♥The oldest surviving valentine dates from 1415. It is a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife. At the time, the duke was being held in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt.

♥One billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

♥Hallmark produced its first valentine in 1913.

Love Around the World

♥In Japan, women are expected to give chocolate and other gifts to men on Valentine's Day. This tradition was started as a marketing campaign by Japanese chocolate companies. Men are not off the hook, unfortunately. They are expected to return the favor on March 14th, commonly known as White Day.

♥"I love you" in German is "Ich liebe dich."

History, Legends & Rumors

♥The roots of St. Valentine's Day can be traced back to the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia. On Lupercalia, a young man would draw the name of a young woman in a lottery and would then keep the woman as a sexual companion for the year.

♥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. Today, to wear your heart on your sleeve means being transparent with your affections.

♥Three different Saint Valentines have been mentioned by the martyrologies of the Roman Catholic Church.

♥The Catholic Church struck St. Valentine’s Day from its official calendar in 1969.

♥The phrase "Sweets for the sweet" is a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1.

♥For every 120 single men who are in their 20s, there are 100 single women in the same age range.