Valentine’s Day is celebrated all around the globe on the 14^th February each year and is a special day when couples share gifts like chocolates and flowers and send each other romantic greeting cards.

Over the years Valentine’s Day has become a day when friends and family also share gifts.  There are some interesting facts about Valentine’s Day that you may not know about.

1. Who was St Valentine?

The most popular legend about Valentine’s Day is that during the time of Emperor Claudius II he did not allow his soldiers to get married during wartime.

Saint Valentine defied this order by marrying the soldiers in secret, which means that this romantic day was based on a rebellious saint and his endeavour to unite loved ones, even if it meant defying the Emperor.

2. The Kiss Symbol

We all type kisses at the end of our messages to friends and loved ones and don’t even really think about what these x’s mean, and just like the online gambling casino NZ offers, there is actually an interesting history.

It has been thought that the x was associated with a kiss during medieval times as very few people were able to write and using an x at the end of the letter was a symbol of sincerity.  Later the x represented a kiss and that’s how we use it today.

3. Random Valentines

If you get a Valentine today, it means that someone secretly likes you, but during the Middle Ages it was a bit different.  Men and women during those times would draw a name from a bowl and that person would be their valentine.

The names of single women would be put aside and the single men would choose a name and pin it onto their sleeve for a week.  This meant that everyone in the town could see who their Valentine was and this is where “wearing your heart on your sleeve” comes from.

4. Flower Stats

Flowers are synonymous with Valentine’s Day, and more men than women give flowers as Valentine’s Day gifts, which is probably no surprise.

73% of Men will buy their loved ones flowers on this special holiday while 27% of women will flowers as a Valentine’s Day gift.

5. Greatest Love Story

Romeo and Juliet is the epitome of Valentine’s Day and is the greatest love story of all time.

Each year on Valentine’s Day Juliet receives thousands of love letters from admirers from all over the world, the letters are sent to Verona where Shakespeare’s play was set.

6. Valentine’s Day Holiday

Henry VIII is famous for having multiple wives, which means he was probably a romantic at heart and what is not known is that he was actually responsible for choosing the date, 14^th February and that was way back in 1537.

Henry VIII declared by Royal Charter that this special day would be a public holiday. Valentine’s Day still remains the most romantic day of the year and is celebrated by most people around the world.