February 03, 2012
Valentine's Day Facts & Superstitions
Valentine’s Day is usually associated with traditional symbols of love like chocolate, fine jewelry and valentine’s day flowers. However, it turns out that there are plenty of other signs and superstitions associated with the most romantic day of the year. If you’re in the mood for a little fun (and hoping to be struck by Cupid’s arrow), you may want to pay careful attention to the following:
Ancient gods
Valentine’s Day has evolved into a holiday represented by the ancient Roman gods Venus and Cupid. According to the news source, red rose bouquets were a favorite of the Goddess of Love, which could indicate why the flower is considered a symbol of devotion. Cards, candy and even magical arrows are associated with Cupid, who was believed to be responsible for facilitating new relationships.
Birds
Some may believe that birds have nothing to do with romance, but in fact, legend has it that if a woman spots a winged creature on February 14, it will predict the type of man she will marry. For example, StValentinesDay.org reports that those who notice a bluebird within their vicinity are destined to swap vows with a happy man while ladies who spot a robin will likely become betrothed one day to a clergyman. Just don’t go looking for owls, which supposedly indicate the viewer will unfortunately become spinster!
Food
According to Good Housekeeping, what you eat on Valentine’s Day could also affect your future. Noodles are able to reward you with a long life, but in order to make this happen, you have to consume the whole strand without letting it break. Cabbage is associated with luck and fortune, while pomegranates represent fertility and abundance. You could even use an apple to decipher how many children you’ll have one day – just cut one in half and count the number of seeds, reports StValentinesDay.org.
Colors
If you’re planning to offer your loved one flowers this Valentine’s Day, you may want to take color into consideration. RomanceStuck.com asserts that red flowers symbolize passion and romance, white flowers represent purity, pink suggests sweetness, grace and elegance, yellow symbolizes friendship and orange flowers represent desire. Think carefully about what message you want to convey!
When it comes down to it, February 14th is all about the magic of love. Perhaps that’s why Valentine’s Day is one of the highest spending holidays according to the National Retail Federation. In fact, this year’s sales are expected to reach a whopping $17.6 billion!
Use these Valentines Day facts to make February’s #1 romantic dinner date more interesting, fun and even reassuring! With $17.6 billion to be spent on dinners, flowers, and chocolates, 2012’s Valentine’s Day should be more romantic and fancy than ever! Can you believe that in the United States, men and women will send each other 26 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and about 170 million flower bouquets and flowering plants? If you were looking for Valentine’s Day trivia more on the reassuring side, know that 15% of women order Valentine’s Day flowers for themselves. Way to pique the curiosity of co-workers and neighbors with a little Valentines Day intrigue, ladies!
Find how the history of Valentine’s Day has led to some interesting superstitions.For instance, legend has it that a future spouse’s personality can be dictated by the breed of bird one happens to see on February 14th. Find a Goldfinch in your garden, and a millionaire will appear (in his Mercedes, no doubt). Whether you find these Valentines Day facts fun or farcical, they provide a peek into how we behave on the legendary day of love. Valentine’s Day behavior can get silly but, as Spanish playwright Pedro Calderon de la Barca tells us, “If love is not madness, it is not love.” While the statistics and ideas here hint at a bit of madness, they also reveal a lot of love. And isn’t that what the world needs now?
Check out the Proflowers Valentine’s Day collection and Happy Valentine’s Day!