From all the corners of the earth, Valentine’s Day is associated with love and romance. For some it is a day to celebrate that special someone in your life, your children or your crush. For others it can be a bitter reminder of aloneness. Whether you celebrate it or not, it has become a very popular holiday. But Valentine’s Day didn’t start off as an ode to love. So how the heck did it come to be?
Fun Fact: 73% of flower buyers are men.
St. Valentine didn’t become associated with romance until the 14th century. Before that time, there was believed to be 2 Valentine’s. One was a Christian martyr, the other a Catholic martyr. It’s not exactly clear how Valentine became associated with love but there are a few legends as to why.
The first story says that Valentine was a priest who performed secret marriage ceremonies for the soldiers in Roman Emperor Claudius II’s army. Claudius demanded that his soldier’s stay unwed as he felt single soldiers made better ones. Valentine was notorious among the soldiers as helping to bring loves together.
Fun Fact: Over 9 million pet owners will give their pet a Valentine’s Day gift!
Another legend says that Valentine was a Christian Saint who refused to convert to Roman Paganism. On the eve of his execution, Valentine healed the blind daughter of his jailer. The next morning, before leaving to his death, he wrote a letter to the daughter and signed it ‘From Your Valentine.’
By the late 1700’s, sending out valentines had caught on. They even produced a section in the newspaper with love verses for those who couldn’t think of any themselves.
Fun Fact: Who receives the most valentines? Teachers!
By the early 1800’s, paper valentines exploded in popularity. England began mass producing them in factories. And in the mid 1900’s, sending small gifts (chocolate, flowers) with your valentine became very popular.
Aside from America and England, many other places celebrate a holiday very similar (if not the same) to Valentine’s Day including: Australia, Canada, Latin America, Europe, East Asia, Japan, India and the Middle East.
Are you looking for a unique gift to hand out to clients or students this Valentine’s Day? Consider giving them a Kiss Pencil! You can even customize it with your logo or a sweet message.
Fun Fact: 15% of women you receive flowers on Valentine’s Day, have sent them to themselves!
Lisa Coronado is a web content writer for http://promotionalpencils.biz/index.php/fancy-pencils/kiss-pencil.html
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