Saint Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14th was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage.

In my belief, Valentine's Day really means showing love and ut most gratitude to all the people who mean a lot to me. I don't just think it's a day for couples, I think its a day for everyone but mostly to me it's really that day to remember love again. Most of us are so caught up with work and busy lifestyles that we forget to appreciate Love. We forget to appreciate people and things around us. 14th Feb marks a day where we get to fully embrace love in many ways, to show compassion towards people and things. Sure, we all love gifts and roses but I think its really about giving and NOT expecting anything in return. The more we expect, the more dissapointed we feel as we may not get all that we expect, right? So it's better to give and keep giving without expecting to recieve. Some people feel this day is over-rated, that it sucks, I think that those people who feel this way, just expect too much and when they don't get all that they expect, they tend to HATE this day. That's not a true meaning on LOVE. That is simply a selfish act.

"You must Love yourself before you shed Love" :-)

 

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.


(just superstitions nothing more.... LOL :-D)

~Sheena,