To some, Valentine’s Day is another holiday blown out of proportion in this commercialised world where the chief desire is to make money from everything and anything. Others consider Valentine’s Day as a celebration of the patron saint of lovers.
The roots of the celebrations are to be found in ancient Rome as a holiday in honour of Juno. Juno was the queen of all gods and goddesses but she was also known as the goddess of women and marriage.
Young boys and girls were separated except for this day when the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into jars. The boys drew the papers and the girl drawn had to be a partner for the duration of the festival. Sometimes the pairing lasted an entire year together such that they would fall in love and eventually marry.
Under his rule, Emperor Claudius II cancelled these celebrations because he was more interested in having strong soldiers and, believing married men would not want to leave their loved ones and families, cancelled all marriages and engagements.
St Valentine and St Marius aided the Christians to secretly marry. Thus St Valentine was martyred on circa February 14, 269 AD and legend has it that he left a message to the jailer’s daughter, a friend, signed ‘From your Valentine’.
Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St Valentine in 496 AD. Since the feast had already existed, the day retained the pagan ritual of a feast of food and drink, although it was now in honour of St Valentine.
The custom of young men choosing maidens for Valentines, or saints as patrons for the coming year arose this way. This evolved during the ages as follows.
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 14. 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.
Today we have to do something spectacular to celebrate St Valentine’s Day and the evolution from simple gifts to elaborate dinners in five-star hotels or restaurants, luxuries splashed out in the name of love or in the name of a patron saint.
Some ideas for a romantic dinner from the comfort of your home:
Parma Ham Valentine’s Tart
Bake two heart-shaped puff pastry casings. Cut in half and fill in with caramelised onions in balsamic vinegar and sugar. Add some Parma ham slices and chunks of feta cheese. Sprinkle with rosemary and garnish with figs.
Baked Camembert in a box
Unwrap the cheese and carefully slice the rind off its top. Return the cheese to its box cut side up. Season with sea salt and ground pepper. Sprinkle over with thyme and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes and serve with bread such as ciabatta or baguettes.
Lemon Mousse
Break away from cooking with traditional chocolate and try something different with this lemon mousse. Whisk together in a first bowl egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture has thickened.
Dissolve some gelatine and leave to the side. In a separate bowl lightly whip some cream into soft peaks. Stir this cream and fold into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk the egg whites in another bowl until they rise into soft peaks. Place the bowl with egg yolks inside a bigger bowl with ice cold water. Fold the whipped egg whites and mix into the egg yolks with a metal spoon together with the gelatine. Stir the mix and pour into a glass, ramekin or tea cup. Refrigerate until set. Sprinkle with toasted chopped almonds before serving.