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When I think of Valentines Day - I picture my elementary school self decorating my classroom valentine box (writing the name of the boy I was smitten with and covering it with a doily), picking out just the right valentine for each classmate, and adding in three conversation hearts - taking great care of who got what message. As an adult I look forward to a heart-shaped box of See's Chocolates and of course red roses!
This got me thinking about why we eat these candies, or why we use doilies when we make homemade valentines? And come to think of it, was there a real St. Valentine?
St. Valentine, myth or man?
It seems that there was more than one St. Valentine. Some historians point to a third-century Roman priest who secretly married couples in defiance of the Roman Emperor Claudius II Gothicus. Others point to a different priest who was thrown in jail for attempting to assist Christians in Roman prisons. And get this... Valentine's Day was initially a Roman fertility festival! Thankfully those first celebrations are a far cry from the Valentine's Day that we know and love today.
Cupid didn't start out as a sweet little cherub...
The real cupid was an "unconquerable" mythological god names Eros. He was initially depicted as a handsome young man who possessed the ability of making people fall in love (sans bow and arrow).
Roses, Roses, Roses...
Valentine's Day is the busiest day of the year for florists. It's ahead of Christmas and Mother's Day. More than half of Valentine Day flower purchases are roses - but I bet you knew that!
Why does X signify a kiss?
Dozens of plausible;e theories abound, but they've simply never been confirmed. There are many citations from as early as 1880 that bemoan this perplexing symbol. This poem was found on an antique Valentine card: "Why do our sweet sentimental young misses / In love letters make little crosses for kisses?"
Valentine cards.
At least 145 million Valentine's Day cards are given each year. And that's only counting the U.S. and doesn't include the cards given by elementary school children in their classrooms. Hallmark reports that Valentine's Day is the second most popular card-giving holiday, Christmas being first.
We have Richard Cadbury to thank for Valentine's Day chocolate.
The tradition of eating chocolate on Valentine's Day is mostly due to his effort. To encourage more sales, he started packaging his chocolates in heart-shaped boxes, and the rest is history! Now approximately 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each year - and today's chocolatiers owe it all to Richard.
But it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without those tiny conversation hearts.
Every day - yes, day - approximately 100,000 pounds of conversation hearts are produced. That's about eight billion per year. And nearly all of this are sold during a brief six-week period between January 1st and Valentine's Day. They're the top selling confection after chocolate on Valentine' Day. My favorite is the yellow ones, followed by the orange and then purple, Anyone want my white ones?
Oh my goodness, Cupid just flew by with a reminder that's there's only 11 weeks left until the Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour - I for one am looking forward to it even more than a heart-shaped box of chocolates!
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Contributed by Cindie Reilly
MLHMGT Board member
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