Nothing says love like roses and chocolates...
Waking up with rose scented petals on your pillow, chocolates wrapped with a red bow or even having your loved one surprise you with breakfast in bed, these are some of the ways to celebrate the day of love.
Although many of you will celebrate Valentine's Day with gifts from your loved ones, have you ever given thought to where the day originated from or some of the traditions inspire by Valentine's Day?
Below is a list of fact you didn't know about #ValentinesDay:
1.
Valentine's Day is named after St Valentine, who was martyred for forgetting to give his wife any sort of greeting card or present for more than 50 years.
2.
Bath salts are one of the most popular Valentine’s Day traditions. Following an old British custom, women agree to sit in a bath with lots of little coloured granules in it. They pretend to enjoy this deeply uncomfortable experience until the following year, when they are forced to undergo the same procedure.
3.
Nothing spells romance more powerfully than the purchase of a wilting carnation from a service station at 6:15 pm on February 14. This is why there are nine-mile tailbacks at service stations on Valentine’s Day, and a new business, The Wilting Carnation Company, is doing better than ever this year. The company’s slogan, ‘Tantalise the woman in your life with a carnation scented with a wicked hint of petrol’, has won a number of major international awards.
4.
What to buy the man in your life? It’s a well-known fact that men love anything to do with wristwatches and cars. This is so they can time themselves while they talk to each other about the quickest route for getting from A to B, avoiding C. A real man is someone who can keep on looking at his wristwatch while holding forth for at least half-an-hour about how to cut 12 minutes from a round trip by taking the B-road, thus avoiding the rush-hour congestion,’ says a top male psychologist. If he can do this while wearing a pair of gold cuff-links, then he’s a real alpha male.
5.
For centuries, British embassies throughout the world have celebrated Valentine’s Day by serving their VIP guests Ferrero Rocher chocolates. However, over the years, many foreign governments have come to suspect this is not the gesture of goodwill it appears to be.
6.
Valentine's Day should not be confused with April Fools’ Day, which occurs 46 days later. Husbands and wives who say ‘To celebrate our love, I’ve bought you something you’ve always wanted’, before pulling out a melting chocolate once shaped like a heart, have almost certainly got the two days mixed up.
7.
Valentine's Day cards come in all shapes and sizes, and are traditionally sent anonymously. Anonymous envelopes dropping through your letterbox on Valentine’s morning are a sure sign you are secretly adored by, among others, your bank, the energy companies, three local takeaway delivery firms and a hundred different charities.
8.
The St Valentine’s Day massacre on February 14, 1929, in which seven men were murdered in Chicago, came about after the victims made the terrible mistake of giving their wives presents of sexy lingerie. Witnesses to the massacre swore they heard yells of ‘Call that a gift?’, ‘You’re only interested in yourself!’ and ‘If you think I’m going to get up in that, you’ve got another think coming’, shortly before the eruption of a blaze of machine-gun fire. Ever since that fateful day, stores in Chicago and surrounding areas have reported a marked downturn in sales of lingerie in the first fortnight of February.
9.
If you forget to give your partner a Valentine’s Day gift, there is absolutely no need to worry. A hastily scribbled love heart on a piece of scrap paper will prove just as good, particularly if it comes with the explanation that you were determined to withstand the commercialization of such a precious day. On the other hand, don’t be surprised if the present originally intended for you ends up in the bottom of the bin.