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> Columnist > Valentine's Day celebrations from around the world
Valentine's Day celebrations from around the world |
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Peggy Melanson
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By Peggy Melanson
Special to PRIME
Children today still exchange humorous valentines such as the cards I bought at Five and Ten cent stores as a child. I still remember placing an unsigned "Be my valentine" card on Jimmy Young's desk in school and quickly running back to my seat. I just stared at the blackboard when he searched the room with his eyes to find out who gave it to him. He never found out it was me.
Many schools celebrate Valentine's Day in much the same way. Children decorate the classrooms and exchange comical and friendly valentines with their teachers and each other.
My Grammy always made "Kissenberry Muffins" on Valentine's Day. A shiny "Kissing" dime was hidden in one of the muffins. Whoever found the coin in her or his muffin became Valentine for the day. Holding the "Kissing dime over a head signified that anyone nearby had to kiss the holder.
Pagan rituals, what would we do without them? Valentine's Day is one of a long list of Pagan ceremonies that have been transformed into religious, and holiday celebrations.
Different authorities believe Valentine's Day began in various ways. Some trace it to an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia. Other experts connect the event with one or more early Christian saints. The early Christian Church had at least two saints named Valentine. One Christian named Valentine made friends with many children. The Romans imprisoned him because he refused to worship their gods, and children missed Valentine so much that they tossed loving notes between the bars of his cell window. This may explain why people exchange love messages on the day. Many stories say that because Valentine was executed on Feb. 14 about 496 A.D., that Saint Pope Gelasius the first named Feb. 14 as St. Valentine's Day.
In Norman French, spoken in Normandy during the Middle Ages, the word galantine sounds like Valentine and means gallant or lover. This may have caused people to think of St. Valentine as the special saint of lovers.
The custom of exchanging valentines on February 14 can also be traced to English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer. He mentioned that birds began to pair off on that day. He also mentions St. Valentine's Day in his "The Parliament of Fowls."
People in Europe celebrate the day in many ways. In Britain and Italy, some unmarried women get up before sunrise on Valentine's Day. They stand before a window watching for a man to pass. They believe that the first man they see, or someone who looks like him, will marry them within a year. Even in this day and age the tradition is still carried on by some women. William Shakespeare mentions this belief in Hamlet.
Danish men send valentines called gaekkebrev (joking letter) to their lady friends. The sender writes a rhyme but does not sign his name. Instead, he signs the valentine with dots, one dot for each letter of his name. If the woman guesses his name, she receives an Easter egg on Easter. Some people in Great Britain also send valentines signed with dots.
The oldest valentine in existence was made in the 1400s and is in the British Museum. Paper valentines were exchanged in Europe where they were given in place of valentine gifts. Paper valentines were especially popular in England. In the early 1800s, valentines began to be assembled in factories. Comic Penny Dreadfuls cards sold for a penny and featured insulting verses.
Kissenberry Muffins are just the thing to serve at your special "Sweetheart Valentine Brunch," or as a special dessert treat for any celebration. The muffins (and directions for the kissing dime) make a nice gift for anyone.
Directions: Prepare your favorite muffins recipe or packaged mix. Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries to the dry ingredients before adding wet ingredients. Follow directions and pour the mixture into muffin cups. Gently push a thoroughly washed dime into the batter of one muffin before baking. Pinch a little piece of aluminum foil around the edge of the pan if you want to know which baked muffin holds the dime.
"Teaching and Inspiring Others" won Peggy Melanson the opportunity to be a Torchbearer for the 2002 Olympics. She was also awarded "Cool Woman of America" by American Movie Classics Television Network. She is a mixed-media and Zentangle artist, a one-woman comedy show and magazine columnist. Her memoir, "Dancing on the Roof" can be seen at www.myfamilymemoirs.com. For more information log onto her website at www.findingcourage.com, email her at peggymelanson@yahoo.com
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