Valentine's Day is a special holiday when people pause to express love for all the special people in their lives. It is typically enjoyed by people who are involved romantically, through the exchange of love notes, flowers, and candlelight dinners. Over the years, celebrations have evolved to include many other relationships, like those between parents and children, best friends, and classmates. Many elementary schools host card exchanges, inviting students to get their creative juice flowing by making boxes to receive notes from other students. Next time little students gather around for these exchanges, they will be interested in learning some interesting Valentines' Day facts
Valentine's Day Background and Trivia
The association of Valentine's Day with love and romance began in the Middle Ages. It developed from a belief in England and France that birds begin their mating season on February 14th. In other words, lovebirds are actually birds! According to the National Retail Federation, love is expensive. American spend in excess of $20 billion (with a B) every single year for Valentine's Day. That's a lot of chocolate!
Kids will enjoy reading stories about Valentine's Day featuring characters who display heartfelt gestures, experience funny mishaps, and send mixed signals that create humorous misunderstandings. Little readers will relate to all of the tender sentiments, secret crushes, and emotional turmoil that all come to the surface on this very special day in February. For tender-hearted tots who want to learn more about this holiday, be sure to share some of these interesting and quirky Valentine's Day facts about the origins of the holiday, how much people spend, the role of chocolates, and other quirky trivia about the day where everyone around the world celebrates love.
How Conversation Hearts Came to Be
Conversation hearts were originally medicine.
We can thank a pharmacist from the 1800s for candy conversation hearts. An engineering-minded man named Oliver R. Chase owned a popular apothecary that needed to speed up production. Of particular focus was making lozenges to sooth sore throats and dispel bad breath. Chase invented a machine that pressed medicinal and binding ingredients together, and then cut them into discs. The chalky output was the precursor for conversation hearts as we know them today.
More profit was made by swapping out medicine for sugar, creating the first Necco Wafer.
It turned out that the speedy machine could be put to better use by making candy. Replacing the medicine to curb sore throats with sweeteners, a treat that is today known as a Necco Wafer was introduced to customers with great success. This disc-shaped candy, sold in rolls with eight different flavors, is one of the oldest candies still in production.
Eventually a new heart-shaped candy evolved, exclusively sold on Valentine's Day.
The candy-making machine was further developed to stamp little messages on the discs printed in red vegetable dye. The process evolved further by molding the round discs into the shape of hearts with endearing words of love and affection imprinted on top.
Today, more than 8 billion conversation hearts are produced every year.
There are approximately 45 different messages printed across all the chalky, little hearts. "Be Mine", "Kiss Me", and "Be True" are the three that have stood the test of time, while many others have come and gone with the years. With a variety of hard-to-distinguish flavors and debatable tastiness, these little messages combined with nostalgia contribute to the popularity of this sweet.
Most Popular Valentine's Day Gifts
Almost 150 million Valentine's Day cards are purchased annually.
A crafty lady turned cards into a business. A woman named Esther A. Howland is credited with the first mass-produced Valentine's Day cards in the US. In the 1840s, she became known as the "Mother of the American Valentine" when she created elaborate cards with lace and ribbon. This business model blossomed into an enormous industry that produces 145 million cards each year. Cards are a flexible, affordable way to share affection with everyone, including both romantic and non-romantic relationships.
A box of chocolates is the most traditional gift.
The very first box of Valentine's Day chocolates was introduced by Richard Cadbury in 1868, according to history.com. This traditional gift can be shared with just about anybody you love. The heart-shaped box is filled with a variety of chocolates that will satisfy every sweet tooth. Surveys indicate that caramels are the favorite, followed by chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate-filled, cream-filled, and coconut. Annual Sales for chocolate candy on this holiday are approaching $3 billion.
Roses are always given as a gesture to express love.
Those beautiful bouquets of roses have journeyed from afar, despite their fresh, vibrant appearance. About 60% of roses are produced in California, but the rest come from South America. About 250 million roses are sold every year, which represent more than 80% of the flowers purchased for Valentine's Day. Of these, red is the most popular color.
Romantic dinners at restaurants are popular gift experiences.
Restaurant owners benefit from the second busiest day of the year, second only to Mother's Day. Going out for a romantic dinner is a tradition shared by millions of couples. So you better make your reservation early if you want to celebrate this romantic holiday at your favorite eatery. The average check may set you back anywhere from $120 to $192 based on national data for the holiday. The hefty prices are associated with consumers opting for more expensive menu items, like steak, enjoying extra cocktails, and indulging in dessert.
Valentine's Day Is For More Than Lovers
February is a booming month full of marriage proposals.
While still a traditionally romantic holiday, it should come as no surprise that Valentine's Day is a popular choice for marriage proposals. Some surveys estimate as many as 6 million people get engaged on this day, a happy occurrence for jewelers who enjoy a lucrative February.
More kids are the recipient of gifts than their parents.
At one time, mothers and fathers only had eyes for each other, spending their hard-earned money on gifts that reflected the depth of their emotions. When these unions produce little offspring, spending habits shift in February. No one knows exactly how, why, or when this happens. But one apparent finding has surfaced in surveys over the years. Parents are more likely to buy their children, rather than their spouses, gifts on Valentine's Day. In fact, a popular talk show found that 85% of their audience was planning a purchase for their kids while only 59% had something in mind for their better halves.
Americans share their love, and money, with pets every February.
Various sources track that the total spend for pets on Valentine's Day is close to $2 billion, a number that is tracking higher year over year. Surveys indicate that the average amount spent on gifts for their mostloyal dog companionsis about $35, while cats get the short end of the stick with the gift-spend is closer to $30. In addition to toys, Americans love to buy their pets heart-shaped treats expressing their love.
Galentine's Day is growing in popularity amongst girls who are best friends.
While traditionally a romantic holiday, this time of year is becoming a more inclusive celebration for people who want to honor every kind of love. Credit is attributed to Amy Poehler's character on the TV sitcom Parks and Recreation when she invited her besties to a brunch, leaving husbands and boyfriends behind. Ever since the idea was aired in 2010, women have embraced the opportunity to exchange gifts and shower their girlfriends in blankets of affection.
