40 Valentine’s Day Trivia Questions on All Things Love

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How many Valentine’s Day trivia questions can you get right?

Valentine’s Day is a day when people celebrate love, romance and those who mean the most to them. People think of the best Valentine’s Day ideas for their special someone, the perfect gifts to get them and how to make those they love feel like a million bucks. It’s a fun holiday to celebrate, but how much do you really know about Valentine’s Day? If you’re up for a challenge, test your holiday smarts by answering these Valentine’s Day trivia questions.

These Valentine’s Day trivia questions challenge you to think of the history, interesting facts and traditions of the holiday. Think you know about Cupid, or why roses are so popular to send on this holiday? If so, read the questions below to see if you’re a true Valentine’s Day scholar. Good luck!

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Valentine’s Day history trivia

Question: Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Feb. 14, which coincides with which ancient Roman festival?

Answer: Lupercalia, a fertility festival. The ancient festival honored Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.

Question: Which religion is associated with Lupercalia?

Answer: Paganism

Question: On what day was Lupercalia celebrated?

Answer: Feb. 15

Question: How did Valentine’s Day get its name?

Answer: The truth about Valentine’s Day is a bit mysterious. We know it’s named after St. Valentine, but who was he? Several legends explain who St. Valentine was, with one of the most popular theories being that he was a priest who officiated the weddings of soldiers during the third century A.D. During this time, Roman emperor Claudius II wanted to make soldiers stronger, so he forbade marriage for young men. Legend has it that Claudius figured out what St. Valentine was up to and put him to death, making St. Valentine a martyr for love.

Question: True or false: St. Valentine is the patron saint of numerous things, including bee keepers and travelers.

Answer: True

Question: Which pope declared Feb. 14 St. Valentine’s Day at the end of the fifth century?

Answer: Pope Gelasius

Question: During which century did Valentine’s Day start to be associated with romance and love?

Answer: The 14th century

Question: Who wrote the 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” commonly believed to be the first record that depicts Valentine’s Day as a romantic day?

Answer: Geoffrey Chaucer

Question: Who is believed to have written the oldest valentine that still exists today?

Answer: Charles, Duke of Orleans. The valentine is believed to be a poem he wrote to his wife in 1415. Yep, a love poem was used as a valentine!

Question: Which English king declared Valentine’s Day a holiday in 1537?

Answer: King Henry VIII

Question: When were the first commercial valentines printed in the United States?

Answer: The mid-1800s

Question: Who is credited with publishing the first commercial valentine in the United States?

Answer: Esther Howland. She started selling valentines in her hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts, and was nicknamed “The Mother of the American Valentine.” She used colorful paper and lace to create her Valentine’s Day cards.

Question: Which two U.S. states officially achieved statehood on Feb. 14?

Answer: Oregon (in 1859) and Arizona (in 1912)

Question: While Valentine’s Day is associated with romance, some darker events have occurred on the holiday. In which U.S. city did the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre happen on Feb. 14, 1929?

Answer: Chicago

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Valentine’s Day symbol trivia

Question: What is Cupid the god of?

Answer: Love

Question: Cupid is the Roman counterpart to which Greek god?

Answer: Eros, the god of love

Question: Who are Cupid’s parents, according to Roman mythology?

Answer: Venus and Mercury

Question: Cupid is believed to carry arrows that have tips made of which two materials?

Answer: Gold and lead. According to legend, if Cupid strikes someone with a gold arrow, they will have the hots for their partner. If Cupid strikes them with a lead arrow, that love will wither.

Question: The heart is a popular symbol used on Valentine’s Day. How did it get its shape?

Answer: There are differing theories surrounding how the heart symbol came to be. One states that the heart symbol is based on the seedpod of silphium, an ancient plant believed to help with conception, love and sex. Another theory states that artists and scientists in the Middle Ages tried to draw the heart the way ancient scholars said it was anatomically structured, and the drawing stuck.

Question: What are red roses said to symbolize?

Answer: Passion and love

Question: Which Greek goddess is associated with red roses?

Answer: Aphrodite. If red roses aren’t your thing, don’t worry. There are plenty of other rose colors that symbolize things like friendship and joy.

Question: Which white bird is often associated with romance? (Hint: You may see plenty of them on Valentine’s Day cards. You may see them on some funny cards too.)

Answer: The dove

Question: What do the “x” and “o” in “xoxo” mean?

Answer: Hugs and kisses

Question: Which company created sweetheart candies?

Answer: The New England Confectionery Company (Necco)

Question: In what year were the sweetheart candy messages “Be Mine” and “Kiss Me” first rolled out?

Answer: 1902

Question: According to medieval Europeans, Feb. 14 marked the beginning of mating season for which animals?

Answer: Birds. That’s why it’s common to see birds on Valentine’s Day cards as symbols of the holiday.

Question: Who is the man often credited with creating the first box of Valentine’s Day chocolates?

Answer: Richard Cadbury

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Valentine’s Day traditions trivia

Question: According to the National Retail Federation, what was the top gift people planned to give loved ones on Valentine’s Day 2022?

Answer: Candy. An impressive 56% of people planned to buy something sweet, 40% planned to give greeting cards and 37% planned to give flowers.

Question: How many roses are estimated to be produced for Valentine’s Day?

Answer: 250 million

Question: How much money did Valentine’s Day spending reach in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation?

Answer: $23.9 billion

Question: On average, how much did people plan to spend on Valentine’s Day for their loved ones in 2022?

Answer: $175. If you’re stumped on what gifts to give this year, check out these lists of the best Valentine’s Day gifts for her, him and your closest friends.

Question: Feb. 14 is celebrated as National Chocolate Day in which country?

Answer: Ghana

Question: Which ancient culture believed chocolate was a gift from the gods?

Answer: The Aztecs

Question: Which TV show is credited with starting the Galentine’s Day tradition?

Answer: Parks and Recreation 

Question: According to Hallmark, how many Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year? (This excludes valentines given out in classrooms.)

Answer: 145 million

Question: According to Norfolk tradition, who is the person who leaves gifts on people’s doorsteps on Valentine’s Day?

Answer: Jack Valentine

Question: According to Spotify, what was the top love song added to love-themed playlists around Valentine’s Day 2020?

Answer: “All of Me” by John Legend

Question: What tune did Billboard name as the top love song of all time?

Answer: “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

Question: Which Swedish monarch is credited with popularizing the tradition of giving flowers on Valentine’s Day?

Answer: King Charles II

Question: What year did Hallmark first start selling Valentine’s Day cards?

Answer: 1913

Sources:

• History.com: “History of Valentine’s Day”
• Britannica: “Valentine’s Day”
• Hallmark: “History of Valentine’s Day”
• New England Historical Society: “Esther Howland, Worcester’s Valentine Queen”
• Greek Gods and Goddesses: “Cupid”
• History.com: “What Is the Origin of the Heart Symbol?”
• Smithsonian Magazine: “The History of Sweetheart Candies”
• Statista: “Total planned flower expenditure on Valentine’s Day in the United States from 2010 to 2021”
• Society of American Florists: “Valentine’s Day Floral Statistics”
• National Retail Federation: “Holiday and Seasonal Trends: Valentine’s Day”
• Spotify: “Spotify Reveals ‘Legendary’ Top Love Song Ahead of Valentine’s Day”
• Billboard: “Top 50 Love Songs of All Time”
• History.com: “10 Things You Didn’t Know Happened on Valentine’s Day”