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 We are happy to welcome Wanda Willis back, and are happy to share her Valentine’s Day Tales with our readers. Ms. Willis is a fascinating folklorist and Indiana Historian who has shared “Hoosier Hauntings” and “Christmas Folklore” with us in the past. We’re sure you will enjoy her stories about the traditions of Valentine’s Day as well.
ST. VALENTINE' S DAY Legends of St. Valentine Who was St. Valentine? There were actually a number of martyrs by this name and each of their feast days was celebrated on February 14. One of the legends tells how Valentine was seized and imprisoned for helping persecuted Christians. He loved children and when he was imprisoned they would toss notes and small bouquets to him through the jail window. The jailer had a blind daughter who Valentine befriended, and through a miracle, restored her sight. On the morning of his execution (February 14) he sent her a farewell note signed "From Your Valentine." When he was buried a pink almond tree near his grave burst into bloom as a symbol of everlasting love. Many early Valentine Day customs are no longer practiced. In Italy, for instance, during the Middle Ages, the day would be celebrated as a spring festival. Young couples would gather in gardens to listen to love poetry and romantic music and stroll among the flowers and trees. In France the elders would form two groups, each with a list: one of eligible males and the other of females. They would then pair the couples. The young women would prepare dinner and afterwards they would go to a dance. Often this pairing would result in marriage. Eligible young men of the British Isles drew names for Valentines or sweethearts. The men would meet their partners and spend the day with them, which usually ended with a dance. They would also send love tokens, love letters, or proposals to the women they truly loved.
Valentines Cards: A Traditional Symbol of Love There are examples of valentine messages of love written on paper beginning in the 15th century. By the 18th century, valentine love letters and handmade love tokens evolved into the valentines we know today. Many were decorated with borders of flowers, cupids, and birds and space for a greeting. During this period Germany and Britain began making fancy writing paper with similar borders for love letters or valentine letters. Many people wrote their own verses or copied them from booklets called Valentine Writers. Better printing methods in the 19th century allowed for the creation of lovely ready-made valentines in both England and America. Lacy valentines of the Victorian era reached their peak from 1840-1860. By 1880 valentines lost their delicacy. Fringes, tassels, feathers, fake flowers, jewels, beads, seeds, and berries were pasted onto cards. In Australia a popular card was two feet long and came in a box. This card was covered with all sorts of trinkets and gewgaws including bits of velvet, satin and swans down.
America’s First Valentine Designer Esther Howland (1828-1904) was the most famous American valentine designer of the Golden Age. Her father had a store in Worcester, Massachusetts where he sold books, paper goods and European valentines. Esther decided she could make prettier cards. She made a few and sold them in her father's store. When her brother went on a selling trip he took a dozen of her designs as samples. Esther only thought she'd make a few hundred dollars, but she was stunned when he returned with orders amounting to five thousand dollars. She set up a work area in one large room of her parent’s house and began designing the cards. She hired young women to put them together. One would cut out the pictures, one pasted them onto cards along with flowers, and another would add lace. Long before Henry Ford, Esther Howland was using the assembly line method. Orders kept pouring in. She hired more assistants. The entire third floor of her family's house became her factory. Eventually the location became too small and she had to rent a building to accommodate the business. Her cards sold for $5 to $10 and some for the almost unheard of price of $30 --a fortune back then. Her business continued to grow and in one year sales reached $100,000. For several years Esther was the main, if not the only, American designer and maker of valentines. As machines made valentines dropped in quality, so did interest in the observance. By the 20th century it had become mostly a children's celebration observed in the schools with the drawing of names and cardboard boxes decorated to receive the cards. Today the tradition of giving gifts of candy or flowers is mainly kept alive in the U.S. and Britain. It is no longer just for lovers, but a celebration to express love and admiration to all that are special to you.
Early Customs, Traditions, and Folklore The rituals of love and courtship in the Middle Ages also found their way into the Valentine's Day traditions and customs. A knight in the Middle Ages would wear a token as a reminder of his lady when he rode into battle or fought in a tournament. Sometimes the token was a ribbon, a piece of lace, or a handkerchief. That is why many valentine cards today are trimmed with ribbons or pieces of velvet, satin, or lace. Lovers also wore each other's sleeves as signs of their affection. Clothes in the Middle Ages were often made with sleeves that could be removed and washed separately from the bodice. Lovers would exchange sleeves the way girls wear their boyfriends' football sweaters. The expression "to wear one's heart on your sleeve" comes from this tradition. Hundreds of years ago in England the children would go from house to house on the morning of St. Valentine's Day and sing for Valentine buns, fruit, or pennies. Another English custom is referred to in Shakespeare's Hamlet, as the lovesick Ophelia sings: This expressed the folk belief that the first person a woman would see on Valentine's Day would be her husband.
Valentine Folklore If you are awakened by a kiss on Valentine's day you will have good luck. It was also believed that you would see your lover's face in a dream on Valentine's Eve if you slept with a sprig of rosemary pinned inside your pillow. Another British folk belief was that to insure a dream of your husband to be was to place bay leaves sprinkled with rose water on your pillows on St. Valentine's Day Eve and recite this little prayer: Good valentine, be kind to me; Some girls wrote the names of boys on slips of paper, wrapped them in clay, an dropped them into water. As the clay fell apart, the paper rose to the surface. The first name to reach the surface would be that of her future husband. During the Civil War valentines for the soldiers and their sweethearts often depicted lovers parting or a tent with flaps that opened to reveal a soldier. These were called "windows." In times of peace the "window" would be a church door, opening on a bride and groom. Another Civil War valentine novelty was for the card to have a place for the sender to place a lock of hair. The colors of Valentine's Day are pink, red, and white. Pink is a delicate, almost innocent shade of red. Pink also was connected with St. Valentine, whose burial caused the pink almond tree to blossom. Red is a symbol of warmth and feeling, the color of the heart. White stands for purity and faith: a faith between two that love each other. The red heart is an old symbol for love. Centuries ago, people did not know that the heart pumps blood through the circulatory system. However, they did know that the heart beats faster when a person is excited or upset. For this reason they believed that the heart was the center of our feelings. This idea remains today in certain sayings, such as, "It does my heart good,” or "I'm broken-hearted," or “sick at heart.” The heart is also connected with the ancient Roman god, Cupid, who frequently appears on cards with his little bow and arrow. In myth and legend, Cupid flew around shooting arrows into people's hearts. The arrows didn't kill them, but made them fall in love with whoever they first saw. Evidently, he shot his little bow and arrow with no rhyme or reason, for the most unlikely individuals would often fall in love. As a result we might use this expression, "love is blind."
Valentines Flowers Flowers seem to have been the symbols of love and happiness for centuries, especially the rose. The rose was sacred to Venus, the ancient goddess of love. On Valentine's Day, one red rose or a dozen means, "I love you." The violet has a special Valentine's Day meaning. Legend has it that violets grew outside the window of the jail where Saint Valentine was imprisoned. In the language of flowers, violets stand for faithfulness This may also be why the amethyst, a violet-colored stone, has become the birthstone for February. Long connected with the story of Saint Valentine, the stone is considered lucky for lovers.
Symbols of Love In some parts of Britain, gloves were given as true love tokens along with a verse: Giving gloves also was another way of proposing. If the girl accepted the gloves and wore them to church the man knew that she had accepted his proposal. People in the Middle Ages thought that the birds chose their mates on St. Valentine’s day. Since the first valentine, beautiful birds have been depicted on Valentines cards. The 14th century author, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote, “For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh to choose his mate.” Doves have long been favorites - either a pair or a single dove bearing a message. The dove was sacred to Venus and other love deities. And from the time of Noah, doves have served as messengers. Doves are members of the pigeon family, so they mate for life, sharing the care of their babies. Shy and gentle, they are known for their billing and cooing, and have long been symbols of romantic love. It was said that to dream of a dove was a promise of happiness. Wishes made when the first dove appeared in springtime would come true, or so it was said. St. Valentine's Day is a happy and sentimental time. Underneath, like almost all holidays born of ancient festivals, it expresses something vital: Winter is winding down. Spring, with its flowers and birdsong, is at last in sight. Birds will mate, as always, and human beings will continue to fall in love and marry. To be alive and a part of all this is truly delightful! |
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All Feature Articles, artwork and photographs ©2000 by Southernin.com. Some information on the 'County Info' pages is taken directly from brochures published by Visitors Bureaus and Chambers of Commerce.
