The Washington critic., 1888-02-11
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
some Of the interesting Customs Of the
Oocasiou., ...


+ Occasion s.tea
"iTwas on the morn Of Valentine, when birds
began to prate,
Dame Durdon's servant-maids and men did
each betakc mate;
There was Moll and Bet,
And Doll and Tet,
And Dorothy draggle tall,
And f. ate who was charming girl TO carry
the milking pail"
Whatever may have been the good
qualities and attributes of st. Valen-
tine, the Roman martyr, they have
come down to us only in the form of
lovers tokens, and all of the associa-
lions of the day, its history, past and
present, its traditions and enjoyments,
are iitly comprehended in the symbol
which was affixed to the 14th of Feb
ruary (st. Valentines Day. upon the
old "clog" almanac, which may be
seen in the Cheltram library, Man
chester, England, viz: true lovers
knot, st. Valentine was bishop of
the Church at Rome, who, by reason
of his outspoken opposition to the
revolving practices of the pagans, had
incurred the enmity of the European
| Claudius, and who suffered martyr
dom therefor, losing his head about
271 b. c., on the 14th day of Febru-
ary. srs t.c: t. ,.a
We are told that che was man
Of admirable parts, and so famous for
his love and charity that the custom
of choosing Valentines, upon his fes-
tival, took its rise from thence"
lags5 The 9E5IGi3 3alentinee 10 custom Of Of
pagan obscurity, and perchanceSf it
were fully known. would add but
little to our store Of useful knowledge.
The London Almanac of 1916 thinks
that it grows out of the pagan custom
of choosing or drawing the names Of
/ girls, in honor Of Pau and Juno, upon
this day. This festival was held upon
I the 10Th of February, and was called
i Lupercalia, in honor of Lupercus, the
| god of fertility. These feasts were
attended with such exhibitions of in.
decencies and drunken orgies that the
church protested against it. The
Christian converts, however, under
the lead Of the priests, countenanced
a modification Of the usage by insti-
tuting lotteries, with the names of the
i saints upon the tickets instead OF. the
names of young women, as hereto
4 fore. st. Valentine was one of the
promoters of the enterprise. and his
untiIncly death-occurring in the
middle OF Fe5tuary--wasth the occasion
&c i,s after celebration.
! Early valentines were simply slips
a Of paper, on which were written
nan es, both of men and women.
\ These slips were placed in separate
4 heaps, and then drawn at hap
| hazard-the males drawing one from
! the heap of women's names, and the
1 women in turn drawing one from the
mems heap.
| The persons thus drawn werebound
/ to the persons drawing them, by
courtesy at least, for the space of one
4 year, and the names were often worn
upon the coat or bodice, over the
Heart or upon the sleeve, at the fancy
of the wearer. Though intended as a
merry Jest, there were not wanting
instances where chance acquaintance
in this manner I.ipened into later
| courtship and happy marriage rela-
tions.
| Chaucer in his poems speaks thus of
the custom
blessed be Saint Valentine,
F!r ON his day. choose You to be mine
Without refining, my heart swIet."
4 One of the sweetest superstitions
connected with the day was that the
first person of heopposite who was
seen on Saint Valentines morn Gfun-
married) was to be ones future mate,
and the historian says that che we'll
remembers walk of two miles in
snow and darkness, waiting until Il
cottage door opened, to claim rosy,
cherry-cheeked farmers daughter for
his valentine"
| Among the rural population there
prevails an opinion or belief that on
Valentines Day the birds choose their
mates. and such people have no diff
Guilty in interpreting the Significance
of Valentines Day by the same token.
DR.. Donne sings thus.
! Hail, Bishop valentine whoseday this is
| All the air Is thy diocese.
| And all the chirping chorlsters
1 And other birds are thy narlshioners.
Thou marry'st every year
The lyrlque lark and the grave whispering
| The sparrow that negleets his life for love,
The household bird with the red stomacher
Thou max ct the blackbird speed assoon
| AS doth the goldinchor the halcyou."
Thirty years ago, in Devonshire,
England, IL was a common custom for
a young woman to say to young man
whom she might meet upon st. Val
entine's Day
Good morrow, Valentine,
1 GO to-day
TO wear for you want you mustpay,
A pair of gloves next Easter Day.
III the young man TO whom she
spoke was the right one, she got the
| gloves, of course. REDWOOD.
| PoreNAc Boat Club Far, $40, COO house.
4 r<. ,.t srr----------