HomeTopicalValentine's Day: Unknown Facts, Myths, and Activities

Valentine’s Day: Unknown Facts, Myths, and Activities

Every February 14th, people celebrate Valentine’s Day and send out gifts, flowers, candies, and lots more to their loved ones. Ever cared to know where this ritual came from? Let me tell you.

Valentine's day

Valentine’s day celebration has both a Christian origin as well as a pagan origin. While the Roman Catholics have a story behind this celebration, ancient Romans also have their own.

While some people believe in the Saint Valentine story, others believe that the story is a means to Christianize the pagan festival of the Roman god, Lupercalia.

After reading this article, you will know the history of valentine’s day, its myths, and even some activities you can carry out that day.

Keep up as I lead you through

History of Valentine’s day.

Valentine's day
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As I said earlier, there are two major stories to the February 14th celebration. First, the story of Saint Valentine’s, a Roman Catholic Martyr, and next, the Christianized celebration of a Roman god.

Read the two stories, and remember that you never really need to argue, which is true. You weren’t there, were you?

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The Saint Valentine’s Story

According to Valentine’s myth, there are 3 different saints whose story circles around love and February 14th. The 3 of them were martyrs. 

The first is of Saint Valentine, a priest who served in the 3rd Century at the time of Emperor Claudius II.

The story has it that the Emperor banned marriage for young men because he believed that soldiers were more effective when unmarried.

But seeing the injustice, this Catholic priest went to wed young lovers in secret. Ultimately he was caught, and he faced a martyr’s death.

The second legend is also about another imprisoned saint Valentine who fell in love with the jailer’s daughter, whom he healed from blindness and also sent love letters to her, which he signed ” from your Valentine.”

Even a third story suggests that Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop who was beheaded by Claudius II, the name and day reservation were truly derived.

Which is one you choose to believe, or whatever story thrills you most? All of them talk about a heroic story of a Roman Catholic Saint who fought for love.

RELATED ARTICLE: Best Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

The Roman Pagan god Story

On the other hand, there is the story of Lupercalia, a Roman god of fertility. She was celebrated on the 15th of February.

In ancient times, the festival began at the Palestinian hill, where it is believed that Roman founders came from. It is also believed that they were cared for on that hill by some wolf they named Lupa.

First, a goat for fertility and a dog for purification was sacrificed, then the hides of the goat were obtained by skinning them. The hides were then dipped into blood, carried into the streets, and used to softly whip plants, animals, or women on the streets.

These strips are welcome as touches of fertility from their god. It is believed that it will make them more fertile next year. 

After that, the young women submit their names which are then used to match them to bachelors by random picking. They remain paired till the next year. Sometimes this pairing ends up in marriages.

This ancient Roman ritual that was held in honor of the god of fertility was filled with heavy s3xual activity, lewdness, animal sacrifice, and random matchmaking.

Many folks believe that in a bid to merge Christianity with pagan rituals, the celebration of Lupercalia was adopted into the church using Saint Valentine as a covering. 

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Importance of Valentine’s Day

Valentine's day

Valentine’s day celebrations have become a tradition in some families and individuals. They buy a lot of gifts for loved ones or plan special activities for them.

For some people, it is a well-targeted opportunity to demand a lady’s hand in marriage. You can try this if you’re a bachelor planning to propose. You’ll make the day memorable for her.

Parents may want to shower special love on their kids on this day. They may spend quality time with their kids in a special place.

Other parents may just want their children to catch some fun on Valentine’s day, so they will take them to places the children love or a playground.

Girlfriends or guys who are not necessarily in a romantic relationship also hang out or create activities that can accommodate their levels of friendship without going overboard.

For lovers, gifts, cards, and love letters keep flying all over the place.

Children are not left out. Many parents bug gifts for children to give to their teachers. Statistics also have it that teachers are the most recipients of valentine’s gifts.

However, some people do not attach any significance to February 14th. Some of them do not believe in love. These people don’t celebrate love.

While others do not believe in the significance of that day. It can be from their religious preference or the ill that goes on on that day.

Regardless you should never wait till February 14th before showing special love and appreciation to people you care about. 

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20 Unknown Facts About Valentine’s Day

  1. Valentine’s day held first on February 14th, 1400, in Paris.
  2. Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine’s Day
  3. Chocolate box has existed for up to 150 years
  4. Teachers receive more Valentine’s gifts than other people
  5. About 20% of pet owners give them valentine’s gift
  6. Valentine’s Day Candy hearts were originally a lozenge for the throat!
  7. Rose became a symbol of love because the Roman god of love admired red roses.
  8. After Christmas, Valentine’s day is the second most popular day when cards are sent in the world.
  9. The “wear your hearts on your sleeves” cliche was derived from the ancient method of celebrating February 14th, where the bachelor had to wear the name of the lady on his sleeves so he could find her.
  10. Richard Cadbury made chocolate boxes in 1861
  11. Valentine’s Day holiday was declared by Pope Gelasius around 498 A.D.
  12. Chocolates were not originally used as a sign of love. Rather doctors prescribed it for people who suffered from a broken heart.
  13. Many people love to get engaged on Valentine’s Day. About 6 million people get engaged every February 14th.
  14. Every year about 14 million cards are sent out from lovers
  15. Men spend higher on Valentine’s Day than women do. Men spend almost double what women spend
  16. Heart-shaped boxes are the most gotten or received on Valentine’s Day
  17. Cupid was initially a Greek god named Eros. 
  18. Cupid has two arrows, one to make people love each other, the other to make people hate each other.
  19. Penicillin was introduced on Valentine’s day.
  20. The first valentine’s gift was sent from Prison. It was sent by Charles, the Dule of Orleans, to his wife.

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Special activities you can do during Valentine’s day

Valentine's Day

A lot of special activities are carried out on Valentine’s day. From indoor love experiences to outdoor fun. Family activities or just you and your spouse.

Many lovers like to do something on this day. Maybe something they had not done before or, better still, an old activity styled grandly. 

We have a list of activities you can probably carry out during valentines day or any other day you choose to spice up your relationship with your loved one.

Make a Special Dinner Together

Cooking dinner together is a great idea for couples to bond. You do not have to cook something very complex. However, you should not cook a meal that takes a very short time, with few activities. 

The idea here is to improve couples’ bonds by spending time preparing a meal. Remember to eat the meal together, from a plate. 

Learn a new dance step

If your partner is terrible at dancing, this is great for you. You can teach him or her a new step. Or better still, you guys can learn a new one together.

There are touches in this process, a lot of touches and laughter. Go ahead and have fun.

Try Stargazing

Not everyone likes staring at the stars, but then it’s a beautiful couple activity for valentines day.

You can cuddle up on your car bonnet, balcony, or backyard and have the time of your lives while leaning on each other.

Sing Karaoke together. 

You can make Valentine’s Eve special for yourself and your partner by singing Karaoke together. You should only love songs. That way, you can express your affection to your partner in a special way.

Do this even though your voice is a mess. The fun is in doing a special activity together and having fun.

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Bake heart-shaped cookies

You can do this with your whole family on valentines day, even though you have a large family. A special love cookie can be designed for each member of the family.

Do DIY projects together.

Far from boring, doing a family or couple Do-It-Yourself project is a good way to go on February 14th. 

You can look for something everyone is willing to do and that is not too hectic for a day’s job. The idea is to create a together project born on lovers’ day.

Write love letters to each other.

This is the most frequently practiced. However, it never loses its love vibes. Love letters are still romantic and very cool for valentines day.

Don’t make it bland. You can create a special love envelope and use it to present the letter to your partner. The good thing is these letters can always pull the same feelings whenever they are read.

Plan a vacation.

Yes, summer may still be months away, but you can still plan your dream vacation on this day. 

Get the kids together and get to know what they will like. Try to decide the place you guys will be going, check out beautiful locations you can visit, and do other fun activities for vacations.

This activity is enthralling. It makes you have fun while imagining having fun.

SEE: Worst Valentine’s Day Experience

Play a Puzzle

Puzzles are fun too. If you do not know the jigsaw puzzle, then you can play other puzzle games with your loved ones while you people gist together.

This is another way of bonding with your family.

Attend a Concert

Attending a concert is another special activity you can do with your loved ones on Valentine’s Day. It is a good one for those who are lovers of music.

You can decide to attend it virtually or physically if you’ve not attended a concert before. Here’s another opportunity to do so.

Eat dinner in a Classic Restaurant 

This is a high-budget activity, but it is also a very passionate one. Usually, hotels and restaurants make special preparation for Valentine’s day, so you’re sure to hit something romantic on this plan.

You should pre-book your seats and inform your date some days before the dinner.

Watch the Sunset.

Undisturbed and undistracted, watching the sunset can make you fall in love with your partner a second time.

The sun’s beauty, calmness, and consistency as it rises is ‘wow.’ I bet you never see something like that in your life.

Do a craft together

You can do a craft with your girlfriend on valentines day. This is a low budget. However, make sure you have all your craft tools in place, so you don’t have to make the activity rowdy while running around to borrow or det a new one.

Read a love novel together 

Have you ever tried reading a love novel to your partner or listening as they read it to you?

You can take turns in reading, or you can let one person read. This is another interesting activity you can try.

Valentine’s day is the day the world celebrates love. Although some people abuse the day, you can still make it worth it for your loved ones.

Esther Gad
Esther Gad
I am a freelance writer, who loves to convey information through written contents. I build simple and conversational content tailored to the specific audience which can help industries build customer trust and in long term increase sales