In season
Valentine's Day
Get right to the heart of Valentine's Day with our guide to its traditions.
How and where did it all begin?
Steeped in folklore, no one’s really sure how Valentine’s Day became a date in the calendar.One story says that St. Valentine was thrown in jail centuries ago for refusing to give-up his Christian faith. While behind bars, the jailer’s daughter befriended him, striking a close friendship. Before he was martyred, Valentine wrote a farewell letter to his friend, signing-off, in a sentimental flourish, as ‘your Valentine’. We haven’t looked back since…
Apple of his eye
If you halve an apple, remember to count the seeds – that way you’ll find out how many children you’re likely to have!Recite the names of five or six prospective lovers as you twist the stem of an apple round and round. The story goes that you will marry the person whose name you were saying when the stem fell off.
Similarly, rumour also has it that if you run through all the letters of the alphabet while twisting an apple stem, the letter you're on when the stem snaps off is the first initial of your future partner's name. No tugging now...
For the love of...
In Medieval times, an 'X' was used to sign documents by people who couldn't write. When the mark was made, the person would then kiss the cross as a sign of their honesty.
Did you know?
During the Middle Ages, young men and women would put their names into a bowl and a lucky dip would be take place to find a Valentine’s heartthrob for each person…In Wales, wooden spoons were carved and offered as love tokens.
Lovers would wear the names of their prospective partners on their sleeves - and gave us the phrase ‘to wear your heart on the sleeve’.
