know why Feb 14 is so full of love?

♥ The Romans came up with it. Roman Emperor Claudius II (268 to 270 AD) while trying to bolster his army, forbade young men to marry. In the spirit of love, St Valentine defied the ban and performed secret marriages. For his disobedience, Valentine was executed on Feb 14. Sniff! Sniff!

♥ In Rome during the Middle Ages, names of single women would be put into an urn. Sinngle men in the town wouldw take a name out annd pin it to their sleevees for one whole week.k This would allow everyone in the town to see who their Valentine was. This could be where the term “wearing your heart on your sleeve” originated.

♥ Chocolate andd Valentine’s Day go hand in hand. Why? Richard Cadbury (of Cadbury chocolate fame) was responsible for the earliest box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. In 1868, he gave chocolates to his beloved in a heartshaped box decorated with his own paintings.

♥ Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards!

♥ Every Valentine’s Day, the Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s doomed lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet. You can visit Casa di Giulietta near Piazza delle Erbe and view all the letters to Juliet that have been sent over the years.

♥ Cupid was associated with Valentine’s Day because hhe is the Roman god of desire, erotic love and affection. In Latin, Cupid means “amor”, which translates in English to

“lovve”.

♥ Chap Goh MMeh,h which marks the end of Chinese Ne ew Year, is known by mmany as the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day. Many Malaysians connect Chapp Goh Meh with the tradition of unmarried womenomen throwing mandarin oranges inscribed with their names into rivers in search of a partner.

♥ The favourite flowerr of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, was the red rose. The bud of the rose stands for strong romantic feelings, and so it’s no surprise they make up the most popular Valentine’s

Day bouquets.