60 Tricky Valentine's Day Trivia Questions That Will Surprise Even Hopeless Romantics (original) (raw)

READER'S DIGEST, GETTY IMAGES (2)

READER'S DIGEST, GETTY IMAGES (2)

If your love language involves fun, games and some quirky history, you’re in the right place. Test your smarts—and your heart—with these Valentine’s Day trivia questions.

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

Valentine’s Day might be filled with flowers, chocolates and sweet sentiments, but the real fun comes from discovering how much you actually know about the holiday. It’s the perfect time to test your Valentine’s Day IQ and see if you’re more holiday-historian than candy-heart connoisseur. Well, with our Valentine’s Day trivia questions and answers below, you have the chance to find out.

We’ve gathered a mix of fun and challenging questions, packed with surprising facts about the origins, traditions and global quirks surrounding Feb. 14. There’s plenty to learn, laugh about and maybe even brag about later. And hey, a little friendly competition with the loves in your life might level-up the big day for everyone in a whole new way.

So read on for a fresh dose of Valentine’s Day trivia—and the chance to find out just how in love with love you really are.

Get Reader’s Digest ’s Read Up newsletter for more trivia, holidays, history, humor, travel, tech and fun facts all week long.

READER'S DIGEST, GETTY IMAGES (2)

Valentine’s Day trivia about history

• Question: Valentine’s Day is celebrated on Feb. 14, which coincides with which ancient Roman festival?
  Answer: Lupercalia, an ancient fertility festival that 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 holiday is named after St. Valentine, a somewhat mysterious historical figure. Though there are several legends about him, one of the most popular theories is that he was a priest who officiated the weddings of soldiers in the third century A.D. During this time, Roman emperor Claudius II forbade young men from marrying, aiming to strengthen Rome’s soldiers. Legend has it that Claudius figured out what St. Valentine was up to and put him to death, making the saint a martyr for love.
• Question: True or false: St. Valentine is the patron saint of numerous things, including beekeepers and travelers.
  Answer: True
• Question: Which fifth-century pope declared Feb. 14 would be St. Valentine’s Day?
  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 still in existance?
  Answer: Charles, Duke of Orleans. The valentine is believed to be a love poem he wrote to his wife in 1415.
• 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 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre happen on Feb. 14, 1929?
  Answer: Chicago

READER'S DIGEST, GETTY IMAGES (2)

Valentine’s Day trivia about symbols

• 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 the origin of the heart symbol. One suggests the shape 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
• Question: Which white bird is often associated with romance? (Hint: You may see plenty of them on Valentine’s Day cards.)
  Answer: The dove
• Question: What do the x and o in the term xoxo mean?
  Answer: Hugs (o) and kisses (x)
• 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 as symbols of the holiday on Valentine’s Day cards.
• Question: Who is often credited with creating the first box of Valentine’s Day chocolates?
  Answer: Richard Cadbury

READER'S DIGEST, GETTY IMAGES (2)

Valentine’s Day trivia about traditions

• Question: According to the National Retail Federation, what was the top gift people planned to give loved ones on Valentine’s Day last year?
  Answer: Candy. An impressive 57% of people planned to buy something sweet, while 40% planned to give greeting cards and 39% planned to give flowers.
• Question: How many roses are produced for Valentine’s Day?
  Answer: An estimated 250 million
• Question: How much money are Americans expected to spend, in total, on Valentine’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation?
  Answer: $14.2 billion
• Question: On average, how much do people plan to spend on Valentine’s Day for their loved ones?
  Answer: $185.81
• 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 (excluding those given out in classrooms)?
  Answer: 145 million
• Question: According to Norfolk tradition, 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 in 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
• Question: In which country did giving chocolate keys become a Valentine’s Day tradition to symbolize unlocking the giver’s heart?
  Answer: Italy
• Question: What country has a tradition in which women give men chocolate on Valentine’s Day?
  Answer: Japan
• Question: What is a popular Welsh tradition that involves carving?
  Answer: Gifting “love spoons” to symbolize affection and commitment
• Question: What is the Valentine’s Day tradition in Finland called?
  Answer: Ystävänpäivä, meaning “Friend’s Day”
• Question: In Denmark, what are the names of the white flowers gifted instead of roses?
  Answer: Snowdrops

READER'S DIGEST, GETTY IMAGES (2)

Valentine’s Day trivia about romantic movies

• Question: What Valentine’s Day movie came out in 2010 and features an array of actors, including Taylor Swift, Julia Roberts, Jessica Biel and Ashton Kutcher?
  Answer: Valentine’s Day
• Question: What 1987 romantic film features Cher and Nicolas Cage? (Hint: The movie was so successful that it received six nominations at the 60th Academy Awards.)
  Answer: Moonstruck
• Question: How did Rose honor Jack’s memory after his passing in Titanic?
  Answer: She changed her name to Rose Dawson.
• Question: What romantic movie is based on a book by Nicholas Sparks and features Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as the leads? (Hint: It’s named after an object.)
  Answer: The Notebook
• Question: What actor played Queen Latifah’s love interest in Just Wright? (Hint: He’s a rapper.)
  Answer: Common
• Question: The late Heath Ledger stole our hearts in this late-’90s teen comedy. What’s the name of the film?
  Answer: 10 Things I Hate About You
• Question: What romantic film features an over-the-top wedding in Singapore (the couple must be incredibly rich!)?
  Answer: Crazy Rich Asians
• Question: There’s tons of dancing and singing in this film starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. What’s the movie’s name?
  Answer: La La Land
• Question: In what romantic movie does Whoopi Goldberg play a psychic?
  Answer: Ghost
• Question: What high school rom-com has a teenage girl writing letters to her former crushes?
  Answer: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
• Question: In The Notebook, what major obstacle keeps Allie and Noah apart for years?
  Answer: Allie’s parents disapproving of Noah and sending her away
• Question: In Pride & Prejudice, what is the name of Mr. Darcy’s grand estate where Elizabeth Bennet begins to see a different side of him?
  Answer: Pemberley
• Question: In La, La Land, what career does Sebastian dream of pursuing?
  Answer: Opening his own jazz club
• Question: In Titanic, what is the sketch Jack draws of Rose,referred to as in the film?
  Answer: “A woman wearing nothing but the heart of the ocean.”
• Question: In 10 Things I Hate About You, the plot is loosely based on which Shakespeare play?
  Answer: The Taming of the Shrew

Why trust us

Reader’s Digest is known for our humor and brain games, including quizzes, puzzles, riddles, word games, trivia, math, pattern and logic puzzles, guessing games, crosswords, rebus, hidden objects and spot-the-difference challenges. We’ve earned prestigious ASME awards for our entertainment content and have produced dozens of brainteaser books, including Word Searches, Word Power, Use Your Words, Fun Puzzles and Brain Ticklers, Mind Stretchers, Ultimate Christmas Puzzles and more. Our 10 published volumes of Mind Stretchers were edited by Allen D. Bragdon, founder of The Brainwaves Center and editor of Games magazine. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• History.com: “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”
• National Retail Federation: “Valentine’s Day Spending on Significant Others to Reach New Record, NRF Survey Shows”
• Statista: “Total planned flower expenditure on Valentine’s Day in the United States from 2010 to 2024”
• Society of American Florists: “Valentine’s Day Floral Statistics”
• Spotify: “Spotify Reveals ‘Legendary’ Top Love Song Ahead of Valentine’s Day”
• Billboard: “Top 50 Love Songs of All Time”