Valentine's Day Facts

     Symbols of Valentine's Day include the heart, roses, lace, rings, doves and Cupid.

     Valentine's Day is second only to Christmas for most cards sent.  And who receives the most valentines, teachers.  Followed by children, mothers, wives and sweethearts.

     The oldest known Valentine's Day card dates from 1415 when Charles, the Duke of Orleans, smuggled a love note to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.  It can be seen today in the British Museum.

     During the Middle Ages, young men and women drew a name from a bowl to see who their valentine would be and wore the name on their sleeve for a week.  To "wear your heart on your sleeve" was born.     

    Hundreds of years ago, women were required to be coy.  If a woman saw a man that interested her, she would drop her lace handkerchief in the hopes he would pick it up, return it to her, and engage in conversation.  People soon began to associate lace with romance.  Today, paper lace decorates candy boxes and valentine cards.

     Venus, the Roman goddess of love, favored the rose above all other flowers.  Because the color red represents strong feelings, the red rose is now the flower of love.  Her favorite birds were doves, because they remain with the same mate for their entire lives.  Doves are symbols of loyalty and love.

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