RD.COM Knowledge Facts
Kelly KuehnUpdated: Mar. 09, 2024
These Valentine's Day trivia questions with answers cover everything, from romantic movies and love songs to Valentine history for kids and adults
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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 and Valentine’s Day cards for their special someone,the perfect gifts to get them and how to make those they love feel like a million bucks with a special date at a romantic restaurant.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 with Valentine’s Day trivia.
While you’re at it, explore how to celebrate Valentine’s Day, according to your zodiac signs!
These Valentine’s Day trivia questions and answers cover almost everything about the holiday, from romantic movies and traditions to love songs and Valentine history for kids and adults. 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 trivia on movies
1. 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
2. Question: What romantic 1987 film features Cher and Nicolas Cage? (Hint: The film was so successful that it received six nominations at the 60th Academy Awards.)
Answer: Moonstruck
3. Question: How did Rose honor Jack’s memory after his passing in Titanic?
Answer: She changed her name to Rose Dawson.
4. Question: What 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
5. Question: What actor played Queen Latifah’s love interest in Just Wright? (Hint: He’s a rapper.)
Answer: Common
6. 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
7. Question: What romantic film features an over-the-top wedding in Singapore (the couple must be incredibly rich!)?
Answer: Crazy Rich Asians
8. Question: There’s tons of dancing and singing in this film with Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. What’s the movie’s name?
Answer: La La Land
9. Question: In what romantic movie does Whoopi Goldberg play a psychic?
Answer: Ghost
10. Question: What high school rom-com has a teenage girl writing letters to all the boys she loves?
Answer: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before
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Valentine’s Day trivia on history
11. 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.
12. Question: Which religion is associated with Lupercalia?
Answer: Paganism
13. Question: On what day was Lupercalia celebrated?
Answer: Feb. 15
14. 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.
15. Question: True or false: St. Valentine is the patron saint of numerous things, including bee keepers and travelers.
Answer: True
16. Question: Which pope declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day at the end of the fifth century?
Answer: Pope Gelasius
17. Question: During which century did Valentine’s Day start to be associated with romance and love?
Answer: The 14th century
18. 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
19. 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!
20. Question: Which English king declared Valentine’s Day a holiday in 1537?
Answer: King Henry VIII
21. Question: When were the first commercial valentines printed in the United States?
Answer: The mid-1800s
22. 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.
23. Question: Which two U.S. states officially achieved statehood on Feb. 14?
Answer: Oregon (in 1859) and Arizona (in 1912)
24. 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 trivia on symbols
25. Question: What is Cupid the god of?
Answer: Love
26. Question: Cupid is the Roman counterpart to which Greek god?
Answer: Eros, the god of love
27. Question: Who are Cupid’s parents, according to Roman mythology?
Answer: Venus and Mercury
28. 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.
29. 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.
30. Question: What are red roses said to symbolize?
Answer: Passion and love
31. Question: Which Greek goddess is associated with red roses?
Answer: Aphrodite
32. 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 valentinestoo.)
Answer: The dove
33. Question: What do the “x” and “o” in “xoxo” mean?
Answer: Hugs and kisses
34. Question: Which company created sweetheart candies?
Answer: The New England Confectionery Company (Necco)
35. Question: In what year were the sweetheart candy messages “Be Mine” and “Kiss Me” first rolled out?
Answer: 1902
36. 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.
37. 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 trivia on traditions
38. 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.
39. Question: How many roses are estimated to be produced for Valentine’s Day?
Answer: 250 million
40. Question: How much money did Valentine’s Day spending reach in 2022, according to the National Retail Federation?
Answer: $23.9 billion
41. Question: On average, how much did people plan to spend on Valentine’s Day for their loved ones in 2022?
Answer: $175
42. Question: Feb. 14 is celebrated as National Chocolate Day in which country?
Answer: Ghana
43. Question: Which ancient culture believed chocolate was a gift from the gods?
Answer: The Aztecs
44. Question: Which TV show is credited with starting the Galentine’s Day tradition?
Answer: Parks and Recreation(to brighten up a friend’s day, simply send them a Galentine’s Day quote.)
45. Question: According to Hallmark, how many Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year? (This excludes valentines given out in classrooms.)
Answer: 145 million
46. Question: According to Norfolk tradition, who is the person who leaves gifts on people’s doorsteps on Valentine’s Day?
Answer: Jack Valentine
47. 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
48. Question: What tune did Billboard name as the top love song of all time?
Answer: “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
49. Question: Which Swedish monarch is credited with popularizing the tradition of giving flowers on Valentine’s Day?
Answer: King Charles II
50. Question: What year did Hallmark first start selling Valentine’s Day cards?
Answer: 1913
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”
- Statista: “Total planned flower expenditure on Valentine’s Day in the United States from 2010 to 2022”
- Society of American Florists: “Valentine’s Day Floral Statistics”
- National Retail Federation: “Valentine’s Day”
- Spotify: “Spotify Reveals ‘Legendary’ Top Love Song Ahead of Valentine’s Day”
- Billboard: “Top 50 Love Songs of All Time”
Originally Published: January 05, 2022
Kelly Kuehn
Kelly Kuehn is a former editor for Reader’s Digest who covered entertainment, trivia and history. When she’s not working you can find her watching the latest and greatest movies, listening to a true-crime podcast (or two), blasting ‘90s music and hiking with her dog, Ryker, throughout the Finger Lakes.
