Valentines Day Fun

Here we are, February first already. Well, I thought I would give you fourteen fun facts about Valentines Day. Plus a few cute guys to drool over. Starting with Cupid at your left. I guess I should correct that. He is what I vision Cupid to look like! ;-) Enjoy the fun facts, and if there are any that you would like to add, leave me a comment. I would love to hear them.

1. Cupid, another symbol of Valentines Day, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentines day holding a bow and arrow because he is believed to use magical arrows to inspire feelings of love.



2. During the late 1800s, postage rates around the world dropped, and the obscene St. Valentine’s Day card became popular, despite the Victorian era being otherwise very prudish. As the numbers of racy valentines grew, several countries banned the practice of exchanging Valentine’s Day cards. During this period, Chicago’s post office rejected more than 25,000 cards on the grounds that they were so indecent, they were not fit to be carried through the U.S. mail.


3. Some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.

4. In the 17th century a hopeful maiden ate a hard-boiled egg and pinned five bay leaves to her pillow before going to sleep on Valentine’s eve. It was believed this would make her dream of her future husband.


5. The heart is the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart. Others thought it to be the source of emotion and intelligence. Some believed the heart embodied a man’s truth, strength and nobility. The heart may be associated with love because the ancient Greeks believed it was the target of Eros, known as Cupid to the Romans. Anyone shot in the heart by one of Cupid’s arrows would fall hopelessly in love. Because the heart is so closely linked to love, its red color is thought to be the most romantic.


6. The red rose was the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love. Red stands for strong feelings which is why a red rose is the flower of love.


7. Wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back to ancient Egypt, where it was believed that the vein of love ran from this finger directly to the heart.


8. Casanova, well known as “The World’s Greatest Lover,” ate chocolate to make him virile.



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


10. Many believe the ‘X’ symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an ‘X.’ The ‘X’ was then kissed to show their sincerity.


11. 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. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other prople to know how you are feeling.


12. In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Heart, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, “You unlock my heart!”



13. In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine’s Day card.


14. The oldest surviving love poem is written in a clay tablet from the times of the Sumerians, inventors of writing, around 3500 B.C. It was unromantically named Istanbul #2461 by the archeologist who unearthed it.


I hope everyone enjoys the next fourteen days! Especially Valentines Day! Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Micole