Do You Know ... Why Feb 14 Is So Full Of Love?

Do You Know ... Why Feb 14 Is So Full Of Love? - know why Feb 14 is so full of love?

♥ The Romans came up with it. Roman Emperor Claudius II (268 to 270 AD) while trying to bolster his army, forbade young men to marry. In the spirit of love, St Valentine defied the ban and performed secret marriages. For his disobedience, Valentine was executed on Feb 14. Sniff! Sniff!

♥ In Rome during the Middle Ages, names of single women would be put into an urn. Single men in the town would take a name out and pin it to their sleeves for one whole week. This would allow everyone in the town to see who their Valentine was. This could be where the term “wearing your heart on your sleeve” originated.

♥ Chocolate and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand. Why? Richard Cadbury (of Cadbury chocolate fame) was responsible for the earliest box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. In 1868, he gave chocolates to his beloved in a heart-shaped box decorated with his own paintings.

♥ Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards!

♥ Every Valentine’s Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s doomed lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet. You can visit Casa di Giulietta near Piazza delle Erbe and view all the letters to Juliet that have been sent over the years.

♥ Cupid was associated with Valentine’s Day because he is the Roman god of desire, erotic love and affection. In Latin, Cupid means “amor”, which translates in English to “love”.

♥ Chap Goh Meh, which marks the end of Chinese New Year, is known by many as the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day. Many Malaysians connect Chap Goh Meh with the tradition of unmarried women throwing mandarin oranges inscribed with their names into rivers in search ofa partner.

♥ The favourite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, was the red rose. The bud of the rose stands for strong romantic feelings, and so it’s no surprise they make up the most popular Valentine’s Day bouquets.