|
 Customs
And Traditions Of Valentine’s Day
On a broader look, you’re
sure to come across this—Valentine’s Day commonly includes
pampering one’s loved ones with loads of gifts and
greetings, finding out the right partners for oneself and
spelling out those three magical words ‘I Love You’ ! There
ain’t any end to what one can do on Valentine’s Day to make
his/ her dear ones feel more and more loved and cared for.
Just remember, whatever you do, dip it in love and you’re
sure to come out in flying colors ! Because, this is a day
for those in love, a day to love, get love and live love.
And it DOES NOT mean just lovers and sweethearts; it
includes all those close to your heart. So be it your
father, mother, siblings, cousins, friends, gramps or just
anyone whom you dearly love—all you got to do is open your
heart out to them, wish them a happy Valentine’s Day and
tell them how much they mean to you !
The commonest tradition of Valentine’s Day is going on
dates, looking for the right companion. This practice
probably descended from the popular English belief that
birds chose their partners on February 14. And today’s
Valentine’s Day is a time totally high on love—a time to
whisper sweet “I Love You” s, propose with a bold “be my
valentine” or just flirt a special someone with a few
love-verses or some sizzling kisses. People buy romantic
gifts and cards for their beloveds and sometimes they even
get into the act of the day with fragrant flowers,
candlelight dinners or a romantic day-out, whichever suits
their pockets. Heart-shaped cards, candies and gifts are all
the rage in the market this time ‘round. Gifting of cute
heart-locks and keys are also quite a favorite on
Valentine’s Day, to say “You hold the keys to my heart”.
Then there’s the custom of sending romantic messages to him
or her on Valentine’s Day. Thousands of stores sell mushy
love-notes for this occasion to draw throngs of lovesick
souls to their doorsteps. So if you want to pamper your
sweetheart with some really romantic poems and songs, start
queuing up now and avoid the rush !
In Wales there was this tradition of gifting carved wooden
love-spoons on Valentine’s Day, while in some places of
England you’ll find the custom of special Valentine’s Day
feasting and baking of extra-special Valentine buns. Now,
the Italian and British maidens observe Valentine’s Day with
a very interesting custom. They stand by the window before
sunrise on Valentine’s Day with bated breath because they
believe the first man they spot would be their partners for
the rest of life. In Denmark, people send anonymous
love-letters to their valentines to keep the fun alive and
kicking.
One of the many other Valentine’s Day customs is the pinning
of bay leaves in the pillows by unmarried women on the
Valentine’s Day eve. This comes from a belief that they
would be able to catch a glimpse of their future husbands in
dreams if they pinned five bay leaves to their pillows and
sprinkled rose water on them the night before Valentine’s
Day. Then there’s also a popular Valentine’s Day practice of
choosing female-partners by drawing their names from a big
jar. Men pick a piece of paper each and the woman whose name
comes up, she becomes his valentine. In some occasions, men
wore their partners’ names on their sleeves and it’s
probably from this that the popular Valentine’s Day saying
of “wearing the heart on sleeve” came from.
There are umpteen customs and beliefs associated with this
most-awaited day of Love—Valentine’s Day. But not each is
followed everywhere. With locational variations, the customs
undergo slight modifications too. But the underlying current
is the same everywhere ! People wallow in their loved ones’
company, talk about being in love, enjoy being in love,
promise to be in love and feel love all ‘round as all colors
are put into the back-burner for the day and the only color
that reigns is red !
|
