Did You Know These Valentine’s Day Traditions?

The well-established customs of Valentine's Day include Valentine's Day meetings, Valentine's Day greeting cards, love spoons, gift exchanges between lovers, and guessing the future in love.

Valentine's Day meeting

On Valentine's Day, there is a tradition of meeting lovers, without establishing this in advance. The custom comes from the English popular belief that, on this day, birds choose their partners. In some parts of Sussex, February 14th is called "Bird's Wedding Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day"

In the beginning, the day of February 14 was associated only with the romantic love between a woman and a man, in the recent period acquiring, however, wider meanings.

Today, on this occasion, people with "Happy Valentine's Day" to all those they love or care about: mother, father, relatives, friends, colleagues. The idea is to celebrate love, to give and receive love on Valentine's Day.

Valentine Congratulations

The tradition of sending or giving each other Valentine's Day greetings began in the 1800s when the first Valentine postcards were sold. These were expensive because they were made of lace and satin, and their message was handwritten.

Later, cheaper, printed Valentine greeting cards appeared, with content not only romantic but also humorous.

Nowadays, it is estimated that Valentine's Day is, after the Christmas holidays, the occasion on which most greetings are sent. Most Valentine postcards contain symbols of love: red roses, hearts, cupids.

Spoons of love

In Wales, on the 14th of February, it is customary to give oneself carved wooden spoons, decorated with keys or locks, symbols of "unleashing" the heart.

Exchange of gifts

On Valentine's Day, there is the custom of giving gifts to loved ones. The most popular gifts are flowers, chocolate, and teddy bears (Teddy bears). Girls also receive jewelry as a gift.

Valentine's evening

At dusk, it is customary for couples in love to meet for a romantic dinner, under the magic light of candles. On this occasion, men gain more courage in asking for the hand of their lovers.

On the evening of February 14, there are numerous balls or dancing parties, organized by various companies, in restaurants or clubs. Many families celebrate Valentine's Day at a party held at home with their loved ones.

Those who do not have a partner on this day take part in the so-called "Valentine's Day Single's Parties." the Valentine's Day parties of the lonely.

Valentine's Day celebration in schools

In some countries, including the United States and Canada, there is a tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day in schools, with students giving each other chocolate and congratulations. In the United Kingdom, children recite poems dedicated to this event during school holidays and then receive candy and other sweets as gifts.

The birds of love

According to popular Anglo-Saxon belief, birds choose their mate on Valentine's Day, their patron saint. It is said, at the same time, that the first bird a girl will see, on Valentine's Day, will predict what kind of man she will marry. Here are some birds, and the predictions they bring:

• blackbird - priest
• gull - sailor
• any bird with yellow feathers - a rich man
• sparrow - farmer
• any bird with blue colors - a cheerful man
• pigeon - a loving man
• woodpecker - the girl will not get married

If a rooster and a hen are seen together, this is an indication that the girl will get married next year.

Guessing the future on Valentine's Day

Before going to bed, a girl puts a mouse-tail flower under the pillow, and the first person she will see the next day when she leaves home will be her future husband.

If a girl goes to the cemetery on the eve of Valentine's Day and goes around the church 12 times, she will see in a dream who she will marry.

The names of a girl's courtesans are written on a piece of paper, which are then wrapped in clay and placed in the water. The first clay to come out of the water will contain the name of the one with whom the girl is destined to marry.