Valentines Day!
Maggie Mahoney
History of Valentines Day
The ancient Romans dedicated February 14 as a day of love. On that day, Romans honored Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. If they praised Juno, Romans believed that the goddess would help girls and boys find their future wives and husbands. On February 14, the boys each drew a girl’s name from a container. When all the girls’ names were picked the next day, each boy paired up with the girl whose name he chose for another holiday to honor the god Lupercus.
Why give flowers?
Valentine's Day flowers began as a tradition in the 17th century, since roses, which represent love in all its forms, were the flowers of choice for the Day. The rose is supposed to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Goddess of Love, because it stood for strong feelings. As a result, lovers began giving flowers to those they cared about to show their love for each other, which often knew no bounds.
How does giving flowers effect our economy?
In 2014, Valentine's Day is estimated to contribute around $17.3 billion to the economy, according to the National Retail Federation. That works out to approximately $103.00 on average per person for traditional Valentine’s Day purchases. More than a third (37.3%) will buy flowers, spending $40.20 each. This surely will help out our economy.
Profile of the average American Floral Valentine's Day Client
Percent of flowers bought by men is 73%