Valentine's Day
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When did Valentine’s Day become significant in Australia?
It’s believed that with the new found wealth during the
1850s gold rush in Ballarat, miners lavished gifts on their
loved ones. 2
ove makes the world go around right? Sure it does!
It’s reported that in Australia, around 90 per cent of
18-24 year olds, and 45 per cent of people aged over 50
celebrate Valentine's Day. That’s a whole lot of love. Florists,
chocolatiers and restaurants do a roaring trade leading up
to and on February 14, not to mention an increase in lingerie
sales (ooh-la-la). Whilst Valentine’s Day celebrates love
amongst couples, it’s increasingly becoming a day where
family, friends and work colleagues also share the love by
exchanging cards, gifts or acts of kindness.
These miners ordered extravagant Valentines amounting
to thousands of pounds at a time. Some of the most lavish
Valentines were made of a satin cushion and were perfumed
and ornately decorated with flowers and coloured shells.
Some were even adorned with taxidermied hummingbird or
bird of paradise. This valuable treasure used to be kept in a
neatly decorated box. www.stvalentines.org
Today, gifts and cards are being replaced by the impersonal
text message, e-card and email. Communicating love sure
has changed!
According to June 2016 ABS Census data, the number
of males per 100 females in Queensland was 98.3. In
comparison, the Tablelands region sports a whopping 151.7
males per 100 females, making it the second highest male to
female gender ratio in Queensland. Great news for the single
ladies – you are spoilt for choice! So gents if you're single and
looking for that special someone, remember to put your best
foot forward when trying to win that heart.
Here’s some more interesting trivia about Valentine’s Day that
you may or may not know (adapted from list25.com):
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The most popular theory about
Valentine's Day's origin comes
from the third century in Rome.
It is said that Emperor Claudius II
didn't want Roman men to marry
during wartime, as he believed
single men made better soldiers.
However, a priest by the name of Valentine went
against his wishes and performed secret weddings.
For this, Valentine was jailed and executed. While
in jail he wrote a note, believed to be to the jailor's
daughter, signing it "from your Valentine".
Every Valentine's Day, the Italian city of Verona,
where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived,
receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet.
220,000 is the average number of wedding
proposals on Valentine's Day each year.
Richard Cadbury produced the first box of
chocolates for this holiday in the late 1800s.
In 1537, England's King Henry VII officially declared
14 February the holiday of St. Valentine's Day.
6 About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are
exchanged each year. This makes it the second
largest seasonal card sending time of the year.
7 Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day
cards, followed by children, mothers, wives,
sweethearts and pets.
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The red rose was the favourite flower of Venus, the
Roman goddess of love.
73 per cent of people who buy flowers on this day
are men, while only 27 per cent are women.
Physicians of the 1800s commonly advised their
patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for
lost love.
February 2018 What’s On & Where To Go 7