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Pick A Chocolate And Get A Valentine's Day Fact

All you need is <strike>love</strike> chocolate!

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. 
[They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see.](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-origins-of-wearing-your-heart-on-your-sleeve-17471279/)

The phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" originated from Valentine's Day

Lace is a fabric that is commonly associated with Valentine's Day. But did you know that lace comes from the Latin word "laques" meaning to snare or net, as in, "to catch a person's heart"?

Lace is more than just a decoration for gifts on Valentine's Day

Cupid, also known as the god of desire, erotic love, attraction, and affection, is the son of Venus. 
[Venus was the goddess of beauty and love.](http://www.gardenbetter.com/rose/Single_Red_Rose.asp)

A red rose, usually given as a romantic gesture, was the favorite flower of Venus

The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare’s lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, [receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.](http://www.amaronetours.it/verona/valentine-day-verona)

Every Valentine’s Day, about 1,000 letters are sent in Verona, addressed to Juliet

On Valentine’s Day, many people buy flowers. Different colored roses have different meanings. A red rose means love, and a yellow rose means friendship.

Different colored flowers have different meanings of love

Young girls [believed they could tell](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/sex/valentines-day/7211482/Valentines-Day-let-a-little-bird-tell-you-what-your-romantic-future-holds.html) what type of man they would marry depending on the type of bird they saw first on Valentine’s Day.
A robin redbreast indicated a sailor, a goldfinch indicated a rich man.

It was believed that a bird could determine what type of man young girls would marry

Because of a translation error made by a chocolate company, only women buy Valentine chocolates. In fact, it is the only day of the year many single women will reveal their crush on a man by giving him chocolate. The men don’t return the favor until [White Day,](http://us.jnto.go.jp/blog/valentines-day-white-day-in-japan/) a type of “answer day” to Valentine’s Day, which is on March 14.

In Japan, only women buy Valentine chocolates for their spouses or boyfriends

It is estimated that around 9 million pet owners [buy their pets gifts](http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2013/02/13/pets-valentines-day-gift-dog-cat/1917251/) for Valentine's Day. How cute!

Pets get gifts on Valentine's Day too

The condom company Durex reports that [condom sales](http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/business/condom-sales-rise-ahead-of-v-day_100317724.html) are 20-30% higher around Valentine’s Day.

Don't be surprised, but condom sales are higher on Valentine’s Day

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Pick A Chocolate And Get A Valentine's Day Fact

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Pick A Chocolate And Get A Valentine's Day Fact

Did you know you can sign up for a BuzzFeed account and create your own Community posts? Get started here!

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