Happy Valentine’s Day

Image: Library of Congress

I was amazed to find a Leap Year Valentine, but there it was in the Library of Congress collection. Quite appropriate for 2016, since this is a Leap Year. The woman, wearing a beautiful long red dress, red being the color of love,  is doing the pursuing, while Cupid is watching from his perch in the number 4. Here are some fun facts about Valentine’s Day.

Did You Know?

1. “X” as a sign for a kiss came from medieval times. When one signed his name with an “X,” he then kissed the mark to show sincerity.
2. During the Victorian era, it was considered bad luck to sign a Valentine Day card.
3. Red is the color of love because the heart pumps blood and the heart was believed to be where feelings of love came from.
4. The oldest known Valentine’s Day “card” was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans. He wrote it to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London. His poem is now in the British Museum.
5. The Ivory Coast is the world’s largest producer of cocoa, the main ingredient in chocolate.
6. The phrase “Sweets for the sweet” comes from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, in Act 5, Scene 1.
7. British chocolatier, Cadbury, produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day during the Victorian era.
8. The Catholic Church dropped St. Valentine’s Day from the feast calendar in 1969 because of uncertainty of its origin.
9. Superstition #1 – If you see a flock of doves on Valentine’s Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage.
10. Superstition #2 – To be awoken with a kiss of Valentine’s Day brings good luck.

Enjoy your day.