Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is a time set aside to recognize love and romance. It is also one of the busiest times of the year for florists, candy makers and greeting card companies.

History of Valentine’s Day

Valentine's Day traces its origins back to Lupercalia, a Roman Festival dedicated to fertility. The celebration was traditionally held on Feb. 15 and dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture and the harvest.

Celebrations of the day faded with the growth of Christianity until it was revived by Pope Gelasius who declared Feb. 14 the feast for St. Valentine's Day in 496 A.D. Tradition says St. Valentine, a third-century Roman saint, was martyred on Feb. 14.

The name for our modern holiday comes from St. Valentine of Terni, who has become linked with the idea of courtly love. Valentine was reportedly killed on Feb. 14 for refusing to deny Christ by the order of Emperor Claudius in the year 280 and for continuing to marry Christian couples - specifically soldiers - despite existing prohibitions.

The most commonly repeated legend - though not founded in fact - was that Valentine’s prayers healed the blind daughter of a guard where he was jailed. On the day of his execution, he reportedly left the young girl a note signed “Your Valentine.”

Valentine's Day grew in popularity in England in the 1700s. People started sending cards and flowers to their loved ones, a tradition that continues today.

The first commercially printed Valentine's Day card was produced in 1913 by Hallmark. Today, more than a billion Valentine's Day cards are sold each year, making it the second busiest greeting card period of the year, behind only Christmas.

Fun Valentine Day facts

Esther Howland of Massachusetts is given credit for selling the first mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards in the 1840s.

$1 billion - The value of imports of all bouquet cut flowers in 2017 through October

$83.8 million – The value of imports of fresh roses and buds, specifically, in February 2017

In 2016, the median age at which men in the U.S. first got married was about 30 years old.

In 2016, the median age at which women first got married was about 28 years old

66.3 percent – The percentage of people age 15 and older in the U.S. who have been married. Three out of four have been married once; nearly one out of five have been married twice; and one in 20 has been married three or more times.

In 2015, the most chocolate was produced by California and Pennsylvania.

In the U.S. in 2015, there were:

22,160 jewelry stores

13,419 flower shops

3,280 candy and nut stores

1,345 chocolate makers

496 nonchocolate candy makers