Valentine’s Day originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine and continued through later folk traditions. It has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world. Also associated with the holiday of “love” is the Roman god Cupid, who fosters  love among others with his bow and arrow.

According to Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, and Venus, the goddess of love. In Greek he is known as Eros. Eros and Cupid are not entirely the same thing, however: Eros is the Greek god of carnal love and in Latin, he is called Amor (love) or in Rome, Cupid (desire).

When you think of Cupid you probably think of a chubby tiny baby with little angel wings. Nope! The cute little baby you are thinking of is a cherub. Cupid was actually a slender young man or boy with wings carrying a bow and quiver of arrows. Cupid is also called the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection.

Some fun facts: the first ever Valentine’s Day was celebrated in 496 AD. The oldest  surviving valentine letter written in English is from 1477, and the letter was sent by Margery Brews to her fiancée John Paston. There has been a valentine sent from prison: the 15th-century prince Charles d’Orléans sent a poem to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Today, around 85 percent of Valentine’s Day cards are bought by women and about 25 percent of pet owners give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets. We all know gifting chocolate is a big part of Valentine’s Day too: Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day in the late 1800’s.

Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful holiday with your loved ones!