Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14th and has various traditions and meanings. It originated from Saint Valentine, who secretly married couples when it was forbidden and was martyred on February 14th. Some interesting facts about Valentine's Day include that the first valentines were written by the Duke of Orleans in prison, the most expensive valentine cost $300,000, and Valentine's Day is also celebrated by giving gifts to pets. Traditions and meanings of roses and other gifts vary by culture.

1. Valentine's Day
15 interesting facts about
valentine's day you might
not know

2. First fact
• Valentine's Day is not only the day of lovers.
February 14 is celebrated as International Book
Giving Day, Geek Day, the beginning of Lent for
Western Christians, YouTube's founding day, and
Mental Health Day. On this day, the Germans
decorate hospitals with scarlet ribbons, and Divine
services are held in chapels.

3. Second fact
• Valentine is one of the first Christian preachers. He
secretly married the military, whom the Roman
emperor Julius Claudius II did not allow to marry.
Because the army lacked soldiers, and this
prevented the militant emperor from realizing his
plans. After that, Valentine was taken into custody,
and subsequently executed on February 14.

4. Third fact
• The author of the first
valentine is the French
Duke Charles of Orleans,
who in 1415 was imprisoned
in solitary confinement. It
was there that he decided
to fight boredom by writing
love letters to his wife.
And to this day, everyone
can be convinced of this -
the note is stored in the
British Museum.

5. Fourth fact
• The most expensive valentine was
commissioned by Aristotle Onassis
and consisted of pure gold, emeralds
and diamonds. The packaging of the
gift was no less luxurious - Onassis
ordered to wrap the valentine in a
mink coat. So the Greek billionaire
expressed his feelings for his
beloved, the opera diva Maria
Callas. The cost of a valentine was
approximately $300,000 at the prices
of the 60s.

6. Fifth fact
• In the nineteenth century, psychiatrists prescribed
chocolate to their patients suffering from
unrequited love. So Richard Calbury came up with
the first box of chocolates.

7. Sixth fact
• The most all-encompassing valentine was created
at a pedestrian crossing in Chengdu, China. This
declaration of love was addressed to all the
inhabitants of the city, and there are no less than
14 million of them, not counting tourists.

8. Seventh fact
• By the number of sales, valentines are the second
most popular after Christmas cards. Most often,
postcards for the second half are bought by
women.

9. Eighth fact
• Most valentines are anonymous, written from right
to left or left handed, and have no return address.
All this only adds to the mystique.

10. Ninth fact
• It turns out that for animals, Valentine's Day is also
a holiday. Every year on this day, more than nine
million people buy gifts for their pets.

11. Tenth fact
• The number of roses you give your loved
one on Valentine's Day also has a
special meaning. In Taiwan, men express
their feelings exclusively with flowers
and only roses. One rose means a sign of
attention and congratulations, two roses
mean an apology, 12 roses mean a
marriage proposal, 36 roses mean a
declaration of true love, and one hundred
roses mean a marriage proposal.

12. Eleventh fact
• An unusual way to confess your love is to give a tomato.
Once in France, it was called pomme deamour - the apple
of love. The tomato got such a nickname for a reason, as
the passionate French believed that the tomato could speak
the language of love. The tomato has always been a symbol
of the human heart. There are even some varieties that are
shaped like a heart. There is a belief that if you make a
salad from such tomatoes and feed them to your lover, then
he will lose his head from love.

13. Twelfth fact
• It is on Valentine's Day that most marriage
proposals take place.

14. Thirteenth fact
• In Saudi Arabia, celebrating Valentine's Day is
strictly prohibited because it promotes sexual
promiscuity. And heavy fines are imposed for its
celebration.

15. Fourteenth fact
• In Korea, single people who haven't received a
Valentine's Day gift go to a singles restaurant and
eat black noodles to mourn their loneliness.

16. Fifteenth fact
• In Holland, on this day, a woman can approach a man she
likes and offer to marry her. If the man refuses, he must
give her a silk dress in return. And in Canada, a man can be
fined or imprisoned for refusing his girlfriend.