Valentine Traditions
Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on
Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang
was:
Good morning to you,
valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.
In Wales wooden love spoons
were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes
were favourite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock
my heart!"
In the Middle Ages, young
men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would
be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear
your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to
know how you are feeling.
In some countries, a young
woman may receive a gift of clothing from a young man. If she keeps the
gift, it means she will marry him.
Some people used to
believe that 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.
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. In this
way, a couple could sit together -- but not too closely!
Think of five or six
names of boys or girls you might marry, As you twist the stem of an apple,
recite the names until the stem comes off. You will marry the person
whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.
Pick a dandelion that has
gone to seed. Take a deep breath and blow the seeds into the wind. Count
the seeds that remain on the stem. That is the number of children you will
have.
If
you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will
also know how many children you will have.
