Fun Facts About Valentine's Day

I'm a little Valentine
all red and white.
With ribbons and lace,
I'm a beautiful sight!

I can say I love you
on Valentine's Day.
Just put me in an envelope
and give me away!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!  Here is a quick blog post about the history of Valentine's Day.  I've also included a fun valentine for you!  💓💓💓💓💓

Learn about the history of Valentine's Day and download a free Valentine's Day coloring page for your students.  #kellysclassroomonline
Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.



Fun Facts About Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine.  Although the majority of people are familiar with the commercial celebration of Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day is a recognized cultural and religious holiday in many parts of the world.  However, it is not recognized as a public holiday anywhere.

The first Feast of Saint Valentine took place in AD 469.  Pope Gelasius I designated February 14th as the day to honor the martyr Saint Valentine of Rome.  While imprisoned, Saint Valentine returned sight to a blind daughter of his jailer.  Before his execution, Saint Valentine signed his farewell letter to her with 'Your Valentine' at the bottom of it.

Learn about the history of Valentine's Day and download a free Valentine's Day coloring page for your students.  #kellysclassroomonline

It wasn't until the 18th century in England, that Valentine's day became associated with romance.  Couples sent handmade greeting cards, handwritten letters, candy, and flowers to one another to show their affection.  Doves, roses, outlined hearts, Cupid, and lovebirds became widely used symbols for Valentine's Day during this time.

Mass-production changed the way people celebrated Valentine's Day during the 19th century.  People started buying premade greeting cards instead of making their own.  Cadbury created the first heart-shaped boxes and filled them with chocolates.  And, purchasing gifts for loved ones became standard.

Learn about the history of Valentine's Day and download a free Valentine's Day coloring page for your students.  #kellysclassroomonline

It wasn't until the 1930s when Valentine's Day became popular with school children.  Multipacks of paper valentines were being mass-produced and could be purchased cheaply.  Candy manufacturers were mass-producing large amounts of Valentine's Day candy as well.  Children would take their valentines and candy to school, pass them out to their classmates, and have fun reading the ones they receive.

My Heart Beats for You!

A few years ago, I had a fun language arts lesson about wordplay and puns with my students.  It coincidentally took place shortly before Valentine's Day and our conversation took on a life of its own.  We joked about the different puns on the cards they were going to pass out to one another and about the ones they received in the past.  That night, I made the following valentine for my students and gave it to them to color.  They loved it and we all had a good laugh.  Today... I'm sharing it with YOU!

Learn about the history of Valentine's Day and download a free Valentine's Day coloring page for your students.  #kellysclassroomonline

To download a FREE copy of this valentine (one page in all), please click on the image above. Clicking this image will take you to the Teachers-Pay-Teachers third-party website. This is a FREE download-- no purchase necessary.

Learn about the history of Valentine's Day and download a free Valentine's Day coloring page for your students.  #kellysclassroomonline

“Valentine’s Day as we know it today is about industrialization and the role of machinery."
-Susan Benjamin, candy historian


Did you enjoy learning fun facts about Valentine's Day? If so, check out these blog posts about love:

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