Hello Readers,
St. Valentine’s Day, or The Feast of St Valentine began as a celebration of one of the earliest Christian Saints, Valentinus, always held on February 14th.
A popular account of St Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. It was whilst St Valentine was jailed that he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius and that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed ‘Your Valentine’.
The day was also famously associated with ‘romantic love’ in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages and when the tradition of courtly love flourished in 18th Century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, writing romantic poetry, and offering confectionery. The first Valentine’s cards were initially known as ‘Valentines’ illustrating symbols of love such as hearts, flowers, doves and the winged Cupid, shooting his arrows of love, weaving his magic for lovers everywhere.
In the 1700’s, on the eve of Valentine’s Day, single women in England, who were looking for love and romance used to pin five bay leaves, one at each corner of their pillow and one in the centre with the belief that it would bring them dreams of their future husbands. Another variation of this tradition was to sprinkle bay leaves with rosewater and lay them across their pillows saying ‘Good Valentine, be kind to me. In dreams, let my true love see’.
In Norfolk, along with traditional Valentine’s Day customs of cards, flowers and romance, they have a sort of ‘Santa Claus’ that goes by the name of ‘Jack Valentine’ and sometimes known as ‘Old Father Valentine’ This loveable but mysterious character is said to knock on children’s doors on Valentine’s day and leave them little treats. Although it is still now quite known where this tradition originated from, it is still quite popular for generations of parents to continue what their parents had once done for them.
But you know, Valentine’s Day is not just exclusive to lovers, people all across the world celebrate this special day by honouring their families, parents, friends and even pets. It’s a day to tell show those you love just how much they mean to you.
My family, The Lulas and I celebrate this lovely day by giving one another small tokens of love and appreciation and make a point of telling one another just how much we love and appreciate one another.
You don’t even have to buy a card of gift, just do one good turn that day, make time to cheer someone up, show a kind, willing and loving heart and expect nothing in return. Its good karma, because what goes around comes around, and very often from very unexpected sources.
My loved ones and I would like to wish you all a very happy ‘Valentine’s Day’.
Until Next Week,
Love and Light,
Linda Lancashire and The Lulas xxx
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