- Red hearts are a ubiquitous valentine symbol. Red is traditionally associated with the colour of blood. At one time people thought that the heart which pumps blood was the part of the body that felt love. In fact when the egyptians mummified their dead for burial they removed every organ but the heart because they believed the heart was the only part of the body necessary for the trip through eternity.
- Groundhog day was originally observed on February 14
- Pope Gelasius established valentines day in A.D.500 in an attempt to appropriate the ancient pagan roman fertility festival, Lupercalia, into Christianity.
- The saying "wearing your heart on your sleeve" is from the middle ages. Boys at this time would draw names of girls to see who would be their "Valentine" and then wear the name pinned on their sleeve for a week.
- Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentines day in the late 1800s.
- A kiss on Valentines day is considered to bring good luck all year.
- Traditionally young girls in the U.S and the U.K believed they could tell what type of man they would marry depending on the type of bird they saw first on Valentines day. If they saw a blackbird they would marry a clergyman, a robin redbreast indicated a sailor and a goldfinch indicated a rich man. A sparrow meant they would marry a farmer, a blue bird indicated a happy man and a crossbill meant an argumentative man. If they saw a dove, they would marry a good man but seeing a woodpecker meant they would not marry at all.
- In 1653 English Puritanical leader Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of the realm and subsequently banned St. Valentines day customs. Valentines day wasn't observed again until Stuart King Charles II was restored to the english throne in 1660.
- In Germany girls would plant onions in a pot on valentines day and next to the onions, they placed the name of a boy. They believed they would marry the boy whose name was nearest the first onion to grow.
