Five Facts You Should Know About Valentine’s Day

By Arlett Ramirez
Web Content Contributor

Valentine’s Day is here and some of us might have mixed feelings about it. These mixed feelings could be influenced by your current relationship status. It seems like Valentine’s Day makes us all hyper aware of our relationship status, whether it’s single, newly single, taken or it’s complicated.

The endless posts on social media depicting happy couples don’t make it any easier to to avoid Valentine’s Day. So, whether your plans are to have a date night with your significant other, friends, or yourself (nothing wrong with that!) I think you’ll enjoy some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day that you might not have known!

1. Valentine’s Day has strange origins.

The Ancient Romans are believed to have started Valentine’s Day long ago, but they didn’t practice current Valentine’s Day traditions. There were no Hallmark cards in Ancient Rome. The Ancient Romans would celebrate the festival of fertility called Lupercalia from Feb 13. to Feb 15 where men would kill animals then slap women with the hides. Romantic, right? The Romans believed that it would help women bear children. Let’s be thankful that tradition has ended and we now give each other Valentine’s Day cards.

2. The most popular gift on Valentine’s Day is flowers.

Did you know that red roses are the most gifted flowers on Valentine’s Day? Red roses were the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess affiliated with love and romance. So it’s only fitting that it’s become the flower associated with love. Nearly 189 million stems of roses are sold on Valentine’s Day. The number of roses has a special meaning as well. Twelve roses conveys “be mine” and “I love you”.

3. Condom sales rise in February.

We all know that February is the month of love. That’s why condom sales go up in February. Many condom companies report that sales are up 20 to 30 percent around Valentine’s Day. Coincidentally, more at-home pregnancy tests are purchased in March than any other month.

4. Almost nine million Americans will buy their pets gifts.

No judgment if you don’t want to buy your pet a gift, but just remember all the cuddles and love they give you. Plus, all the times you’ve posted pictures on social media to show them off. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant; a Valentine’s Day card will do just fine but if you want to go the extra mile, I’m sure your pet will appreciate it with more cuddles during Netflix sessions.

5. Single Awareness Day is on Feb. 15.

Single Awareness Day, also known as SAD, occurs the day after Valentine’s Day. The purpose is to promote love in all forms through friends, family, and most importantly yourself. Don’t be fooled by its saddening acronym. SAD isn’t meant to bring pity to those who are single; instead it’s a celebration of being unattached and independent. Most of us are probably aware of a certain song called “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande where she talks about her past relationships and the things she’s learned from each one. If you’re newly single, “thank u, next” is the song for you. Forget about your ex and focus on yourself!