Valentine’s Day Stories
Valentine’s Day is coming quickly; this year the day falls on the Tuesday right after our Family Day holiday. What could be better than a long week-end followed by romance?
To help you remember to celebrate this special day and gain a greater appreciation of the day; BC Farm Fresh has gone out to the World Wide Web on a fact finding mission to find some Valentine’s Day fun facts.
The origin of Valentine’s Day
- One theory of the origin of Valentine’s Day dates back to the time of the Roman Empire during the reign of Claudius II, in 270 A.D. Claudius didn’t want men to marry during wartime because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret wedding ceremonies. For this, Valentine was jailed and then executed by order of the Emperor on February 14. While in jail, he wrote a love note to the jailor’s daughter, signing it, “From your Valentine”.
- In 1537, England’s King Henry VII officially declared February 14 the holiday of St. Valentine’s Day.
Chocolates and Valentine’s Day
- In the 1800s doctors commonly advised their heartbroken patients to eat chocolate, claiming it would sooth their pain.
- Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in the late 1800s.
- More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.
Birds and Valentine’s Day
There are some great superstitions about the bird that you watch on Valentine’s Day will predict what type of man you’ll marry. If you see a:
- Goldfinch, you will marry a millionaire.
- robin, you will marry a crime fighter
- flock of doves, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage
- sparrow, you will marry a poor man
- owl, you will remain a spinster
- blackbird, you will marry a priest or clergyman
The question from BC Farm Fresh is: what type of bird do you have to see to marry a farmer?
Flowers and Valentine’s Day
- 73 percent of people who buy flowers for Valentine’s Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.
- 15 percent of women send themselves flowers on Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day folklore:
- If an apple is cut in half, the number of seeds found inside the fruit will indicate the number of children that individual will have.
- To be awoken by a kiss on Valentine’s Day is considered lucky.
Our final thought on Valentine’s Day at BC Farm Fresh is: why did vegetables lose out on Valentine’s Day traditions? What could be more romantic than a head of broccoli or beautiful red cabbage?
Enjoy the day and don’t forget to celebrate your sweetheart!