Traditional gifts for Valentine's Day

Traditionally, in the United States – we celebrate Valentine's Day by giving flowers, cards and chocolate. However, have you ever wondered where these traditions may have come from?

According to several online sources, the tradition of giving flowers to our "sweethearts" on Feb. 14 began in the 1800's, since roses, which (past and present) represent love – were the flowers of choice for the day.

It is offered that roses were the favorite flower of Venus, the goddess of love, because they represented strong emotions. As a result, lovers began giving flowers to those they cared about to show the...