Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Whether or not you're celebrating, I hope you have a great day. We're not really doing anything that special, mostly since we're going out of town next week and are just waiting until then to celebrate. Here are some more fun little factoids about the holiday... enjoy!

1. Wearing a wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand dates back to ancient Egypt, where it was believed that the vein of love ran from this finger directly to the heart.


2. In America, the pilgrims sent confections, such as sugar wafers, marzipan, sweetmeats and sugar plums, to their betrothed. Great value was placed on these gifts because they included what was then a rare commodity, sugar. After the late 1800's, beet sugar became widely used and more available, and sweet gifts continued to be valued and enjoyed.


3. Cupid, another symbol of Valentines Day, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards holding a bow and arrows because he is believed to use magical arrows to inspire feelings of love.


4. In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.


5. In the United States, 64 percent of men do not make plans in advance for a romantic Valentine's Day with their sweethearts.


6. In Victorian times it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine's Day card.


7. In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"


8. It wasn't until 1537 that St. Valentine's Day was declared an official holiday. England's King Henry VIII declared February 14th a holiday.


9. 15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.


10. 73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.


11. About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.


12. About 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.


13. Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts.


14. Children ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members.


15. The heart is the most common symbol of romantic love. Ancient cultures believed the human soul lived in the heart. Others thought it to be the source of emotion and intelligence. Some believed the heart embodied a man's truth, strength and nobility. The heart may be associated with love because the ancient Greeks believed it was the target of Eros, known as Cupid to the Romans. Anyone shot in the heart by one of Cupid's arrows would fall hopelessly in love. Because the heart is so closely linked to love, it's red colour is thought to be the most romantic.


16. The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.