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.