Valentine's Day 2023: 7 facts that will amaze you

Regardless of how much or how little you already know about the day of love, here we list some interesting and fun facts about Valentine’s Day.

The most common explanation for how Valentine’s Day came to be is the ancient festival of Lupercalia, a raucous, wine-fuelled fertility rite in which Roman men and women paired off. Lupercalia was celebrated for centuries in the middle of February and eventually, as the Roman Empire became less pagan and more Christian, was transformed into a celebration honouring St Valentine. Credit: Reuters Photo

The very first Valentine has a sad story behind it. It is said to have been a poem sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife from the prison in the Tower of London where he was held after the capture at Battle of Agincourt. Credit: AFP Photo

While many celebrate V-day as the day of love, it was not romantic at all until the Middle Ages. In medieval times, it was common wisdom that birds start mating in the month of February. And through this belief, Valentine's Day became associated with the day of love and pairing off. Credit: AFP Photo

The adorable baby with the bow and arrow people associate with Valentine's Day was the Greek god Eros - the god of love which was renamed as Cupid by Romans. Credit: Pexels/Skitterphoto

Despite the boom in technology and influence of social media, on Valentine's Day, people prefer to give personalised cards and it is reported that on V-Day, a massive 145 million cards are given every year. Valentine's Day is the second most popular card-giving holiday after Christmas, according to Hallmark. Credit: Pexels/Michelle Leman

Some historians believe that Valentine's Day commemorates the death of St Valentine on February 14. Credit: Getty Images

Valentine's Day is the busiest day of the year for florists. This year, 188 tonnes of flowers were sent from Mumbai. In 2022, 170 tonnes of flowers were sent via Mumbai airport. Credit: AFP Photo