The Arvada enterprise., 1914-02-05
NOT OBSERVED AS
IN The OLD DAYS
St. Valentine Is Now Neglected,
Compared to What Was Done
Some Two Centuries AGO.


n HE sending by mail of EN-.
I : !. ; !: : !: : ! h: !. i ]. |
Nhn bossed tokens of love or
friendship is about all
VI m there Is left of the ancient
"a KI customs of st. Valentines
NNN day. The windows and
IAENE/ play counters of our book
" stores and bazars are filled
at this season OF the year with exam
pies of art and near-art to an extent
that should please every sort of taste in
regard to valentines. There is n day
or two Of fun and merry chatter when
the tokens are received. or of even
more boisterous mirth II the valen-
tines are comic" here and there
valentine party Is given by the young
people, then the celebrating ceases
and is forgotten.
Not 30 couple of centuries ago.
Then the festivities were much more
in tho character OF observance and
ceremonies. The origin of st. Valen-
tines day Is credited to different incl
dents. One writer of ancient social
customs says that 1t originated with
Nine. Royale. daughter Of Henry ~.
of France. The lady, having built a
splendid palace near Turin, desired to
name it for some good saint, and final.
ly chose st. Valentine. Thus the ed.
ifice was called The Valentine" and
at the initial entertainment given in
the great drawing rooms, Nine. Roy.
ale conceived the idea OF causing her
guests to pair off by means OF lot.
terry.
Ladies' Drew From Lot.
The names of the men were writ
ten on slips of paper and folded. The
ladies' then drew from the list. and
whoever each one drew was to bo her
valentine" for the space of one year.
At the various balls which this gay.
spirited young princess gave during
the season II was understood that each
lady should receive bouquet from
her chosen lover, and that at every
tournament the trappingB of IA knight
horse should be furnished by his allot'
ted lady, with this provisio-that the
lady eventually receive whatever prize
he might win. Nine. Royale, however,
would not herself enter into this lot
terry, but reserved the privilege of
choosing her valentine" independent.
ly.
Doubtless It is true that this lady
did originate this costume at her pal
ace in Turin, but II IL also quite as
true that this was not the real origin
of st. Valentines day, for 1t is alluded
to by English poets before her time.
Lydgate, monk. who died in the
! year lii0. and who has been described
as "the poet OF his monastery" wrote
a poem In praise of Queen Catherine,
consort OF Henry ". of England, In
which he mentioned the observance OF
st. Valentines day and the custom OF
drawing lots"
Indeed, this custom seems 10 have
been a very ancient one, and cOntin'
ucd to comparatively modern tlmeB.
An equal number OF young men and
women would meet together on the
eve St Valentines day and hold "A lot
terry, In which the names OF both men
and women were drawn; thus each
maid and bachelor would have two
valentines" who were required TO
make mutual gifts, This. Of course,
occasloncd any amount Of mlrth and
some funny situations,
Other Expectations.
one superstition which held good
until quito recent times was that the
| first young man or young woman one
| ohanced 10 meet on the morning Of
Valentines day would be ones yaleu
tine. Other suporstltlOns included
mystic rites. particularly In Scotland
| which enabled maidens to learn who
would be their future husbands About
the middle OF the eighteenth century
| one young woman-accordlng TO tho
| historian Of social customs OF that
| tlme-wrote as follows:
Last Friday was Valentines day,
snd IN tell you what did the night
before. got fye bay leaves, pinned