Legends of Saint Valentine show Valentine to be a heroic and romantic
figure.
One legend says that Valentine was a priest during the reign of Emperor
Claudius II. The Emperor thought that single men made better soldiers and so
outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine defied the Emperor and continued
to marry couples in secret. When Claudius found out about this he ordered
that Valentine be put to death. Another legend suggests that Valentine may
have been put to death for aiding Christians. Valentine’s execution was on
February 14, 269 A.D. Some say that while in prison, Valentine fell in love
with the jailor’s daughter. Before his death, he wrote a letter signed
“From your Valentine”.
In ancient Rome, February 14 was a holiday to honour Juno, Goddess of
women and marriage. The Feast of Lupercalia began on the following day,
February 15. On the eve of Lupercalia the names of Roman girls were written
on slips of paper and placed into jars. Each young man would draw a girl’s
name from the jar and would then be partners with this girl for the duration
of the festival. Sometimes, the pairing of the children might last longer
than a year.
The early Christian Church in Rome tried to do away with the pagan element
in these feasts and in 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius replaced the Feast of Lupercalia
with a day in honour of Saint Valentine on February 14. The names of saints
were substituted for the names of the young girls.
February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages and Saint
Valentine became the patron saint of lovers. Poems and flowers were sent on
this day.
Valentine Traditions:
In the Middle ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who
would be their valentine. They wore these names on their sleeves for one
week. “To wear your heart on your sleeve” means that it is easy for
other people to know how you are feeling.
If a woman saw a robin flying overhead on Valentine's Day, it meant she
would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and
be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
To find out who you will marry - Think of some names of boys or girls that
you like. Twist the stem of an apple and recite the names until the stem
comes off. You will marry the person whose name you were saying when the
stem fell off.
To find out how many children you will have:
Cut an apple in half. The number of seeds inside shows how many
children you will have.
Pick a dandelion that has gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow
the seeds into the wind. The number of seeds that remain on the
stem is the number of children you will have.
In Wales, wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February
14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were popular decorations on the spoons. The
decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"
A love seat is a wide chair. It was first made to seat one woman and her
wide dress. Later, the love seat or courting seat had two sections, often in
an S-shape and a couple could sit together on this.
Valentine's Day - 14th February