For newlyweds, there is hardly an event that is more important than Valentine’s Day. Today is that time again and flowers, chocolates, and chocolate change hands all over the world. But where do these customs come from and are they the same everywhere? It’s high time to bring you closer to the day of love with impressive figures, useless knowledge, and (new) fun facts.
WHY FEBRUARY 14 IS THE DAY FOR LOVERS…
One of the most famous stories describing the origin of Valentine’s Day dates back to 270 A.D., during the reign of Roman Emperor Claudius II, who banned marriage because he believed single men made better soldiers. Bishop Valentine, however, disregarded the emperor’s wishes and continued to marry loving couples, but in secret. This went well until he was caught and thrown into prison for his treason against the emperor. Bishop Valentine was executed on February 14, so Valentine’s Day is celebrated on that date every year.
BLACK AND WHITE FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
Usually red is the predominant color on Valentine’s Day. Especially the roses given away are usually red. This color is generally associated with passion and love – fitting for the day of love ???? A legend also says that red roses were the absolute favorite flowers of Venus, the goddess of love – again fitting!
But in the Asian region, especially black and white play an important role:
WHITE DAY
In Japan, the Valentine’s Day custom is a little different than here at home! To express their love, the women give the men homemade chocolate on Valentine’s Day. So far, nothing unusual. The men reciprocate this gesture the following day (the “White Day“) with a gift that is three times more valuable than the gift they received on February 14.
BLACK DAY
In South Korea, women give the men of their hearts chocolate on February 14. A month later, on March 14, men show their love by giving gifts of candy to their ladies of the heart. And the singles, the women and men who did not give or receive chocolate or candy, then mourn on April 14 (“Black Day“), in which they go out and eat black noodles. Logical, right?
Finally, we would like to give you a few facts that you may not have known about Valentine’s Day!
DID YOU KNOW THAT…
1) …110 million roses are sold worldwide every year on Valentine’s Day?.
2) …the first box of chocolates was made for Valentine’s Day in 1868?
3) …more than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are produced for Valentine’s Day?
4) …in 2015, 39,897 people in Mexico City set the Guinness record for the world’s largest group kiss on Valentine’s Day?
5) …more than 220,000 marriage proposals are made around the globe on Valentine’s Day?
However, you spend your Valentine’s Day – We hope it’s exactly how you want it. ????
And for all those who still spontaneously need a suitable gift, we have a great idea – click here!
