February 14, associated with love and courtship since medieval times. Two Christian
martyrs, one a bishop and the other a priest, share the feast day of St. Valentine; legends
tell of their good deeds. The Roman festival of Lupercalia, when young men drew the
names of young women from an urn, is one of the earliest predecessors of Valentine’s
Day. Since the late Middle Ages, February 14 has been the day when people expect birds
to begin their spring mating. It has also been a day to begin sowing particular crops, such
as lettuce and onions.
In 19th-century America, young men pulled the names of prospective sweethearts
from a hat at play-parties. Recognizing the “first-met” as a valentine sweetheart and
seeking to dream of a future husband by sleeping on bay leaves sprinkled with rose water
are among the Valentine’s Day customs that came to America from the British Isles.
Printed valentine cards became common in America after 1860. Since then a great
many people have exchanged valentines with serious or humorous wording. For adults
the purchase or creation of cards and gifts can be an absorbing task. Children take delight
in such comic parody verses as “Roses are red; they grow in this region. / If I had your
face, I’d join the Foreign Legion.” Valentine’s Day parties for children may include
heart-shaped cakes and other special refreshments; some children dress in red and white
clothes.
With its commercial emphasis on the purchase of cards and gifts, Valentine’s Day
may seem to have lost some of its traditional essence. However, valentine verses still
circulate orally, and local customs continue to develop.
Elizabeth Tucker
References
Cohen, Hennig, andTristram Coffin, eds. 1987. The Folklore of American Holidays. Detroit: Gale,
pp. 67–69.
Hand, Wayland D., ed. 1964. The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore. Vol. 7.
Durham, NC: Duke University Press, pp. 427, 530.
Knapp, Mary, and Herbert Knapp. 1976. One Potato, Two Potato: The Secret Education of
American Children. New York: W.W.Norton, pp. 220–221.
Opie, lona, and Peter Opie. 1959. The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, pp. 235–237.
Spicer, Dorothy. 1954. Yearbook of English Festivals. Westport, CT: Greenwood, pp. 36–38.