You know valentine’s day comes so quick after Christmas.
The aisles at the stores instantly turn from red and green to red and pink with chocolates and hearts everywhere, but where does the Valentine’s Day traditions come from?
According to readers digest, Valentine’s day started with the catholic church’s feast of St. Valentine’s Day, on the day he was executed by the roman emperor in 270 A.D.
There are many legends surrounding his death. One says he was a priest who married young couples after the emperor outlawed marriage for young men so they would be better soldiers, hence where the idea of celebrating love came from on the feast day.
So where did the heart shape come from? Some believe it was inspired by a now extinct plant called Silphium from the African city state of Cyrene.
The shapes of its leaves were heart shaped and the plant was used for food coloring, a cough syrup and an aphrodisiac. It’s also been long believed that the color red is the color of passion and makes you more attractive. Scientist at the University of Rochester did a study that found people were more attracted to others who wore red.
And where did the idea of chocolates come from? Well, apparently that, comes from good marketing.
Richard Cadbury started designing ornate boxes for his chocolates to come in, including a heart shaped one that may have changed the industry forever.
Even though lovers get all the attention when it comes to Valentine’s day, everyone can celebrate without involving romantic love.
According to good housekeeping, the most common recipients of Valentine’s day cards are actually teachers, most likely due to having several students in their classrooms.