bobobi11 Posted February 14, 2002 Share Posted February 14, 2002 Customs and Superstitions about Love Here are a few fun facts and fables about love and marriage gathered from around the world! Enjoy! Then Share what you know! Add your own customs from where you live at the bottom of this page. Fun Superstitions On Valentine's Day, the first guy's name you read in the paper or hear on the TV or radio will be the name of the man you will marry. If you see a squirrel on Valentine's Day, you will marry a cheapskate who will hoard all your money. If you see a goldfinch on Valentine's Day, you will marry a millionaire. If you see a flock of doves on Valentine's Day, you will have a happy, peaceful marriage. If you find a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved will have the other missing glove. If you see a robin on Valentine's Day, you will marry a crime fighter. If you see a bat today, you will marry a baseball player. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where Did Valentine's Day Come From? The custom of sending special messages and gifts to the ones we love began in the year 270 A. D. The Roman Emperor Claudius found he was having problems recruiting men to serve in his armies. The men wanted to stay home with their wives and children. Angry that his men were more loyal to their wives than to himself, Claudius decided to outlaw marriage! Couples who were in love searched for someone who would help them get married, even in secret. A priest named Valentine performed wedding ceremonies for these desperate young lovers. When the emperor found out, he had Valentine arrested and ordered his execution on February 14, the day of the Roman festival of love. Valentine's jailer had a daughter, Augustine. She was so kind to Valentine during his imprisonment, that Valentine sent a note with a grateful "thank you" message for all that she had done. So, the custom of sending Valentines had begun. Valentine, the priest, died because he believed in love. Now he is remembered as St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. Today, Valentine's Day is a day we all say "thank you" for kindness done and for the gift of love and caring. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Where did Cupid come from? Cupid, the chubby cherub with a bow and arrow, dates all the way back to the myths of ancient Greece. In those days he was known as Eros. He was the son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Much of Greek culture was later adopted by the Romans. They called the goddess of love Venus and her son, Cupid. In Latin, the language of ancient Rome, the word cupido means desire. As a messenger of his mother, the goddess of love, Cupid would shoot his arrows, tipped with gold. Those struck by the arrows would fall in love. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Language of Flowers According to old traditions, sending different kinds of flowers sends a secret message to the one you love. Here are a few of these secret flower messages: Red roses mean "I love you"! Yellow roses mean "I love you, but I don't know if you love me." White roses mean "Our love is pure." Four leaf clovers are a wish for good luck. Orange blossoms represent everlasting love. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dating 'Round the World In different countries, boys and girls have lots of ways to meet each other. Over the last forty years or so, teen-agers in Japan usually concentrated on their studies. Today, large group activities are popular while one-on-one dates often wait until college years. In Iran, religious customs and laws forbid dating. Girls and boys are introduced by their families. Sometimes even the actual wedding is completely arranged by the parents. In many Spanish speaking countries, young girls don't go out with boys until after their "quincinera"--a special party honoring their fifteenth birthday. The wealthier families of parts of England and the United States have a Debutant Ball for their older teen-aged daughters. This is an official "coming out" party rather like the Spanish quincinera. Of course, less formal dating often happens before a girl becomes a "deb." Coffee houses and dance clubs are popular places to go for a date in modern Russia. In the United States "going Dutch" on a date means each person pays for her or himself. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Why Is Valentine's Day on February 14th? Christian heroes, called saints, are often honored on the anniversary of the day they died (since Christians believe that's the day a person can be "born" into heaven). A famous bishop named Valentine died on February 14th. So it became the feast of St. Valentine. The preachers of the early Christian church tried to use traditions people already had when they taught them about Christian beliefs. On February 15th, Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. On that day, young women would put their names into a jar. The young men would each draw a name to see who would be their partner for the festivities of the day. This custom was continued by some people even when they became Christians. So the church connected it with celebrations for St. Valentine which happened about the same time (the 14th). The kindness that St. Valentine showed in his life was supposed to be an example of the kindness people should show to their "valentine" whose name was drawn from a jar. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Valentine Heart Chocolate hearts, lace hearts, paper hearts of red... hearts in supermarket ads, heart-shaped cookies, even heart-covered silk boxer shorts! On Valentine's Day, everywhere you look you see hearts. -- But why? In early times, the liver was the part of the body that symbolized love. But hearts have long been connected with feelings of love. After all, you can feel your heart beating faster when you're excited by seeing someone you love. That's probably how it all got started. But scientists think that emotions actually begins in your brain. The part of it called the thalamus shows the most activity in tests measuring an emotionally excited person. But a piece of brain on a Valentine's card probably wouldn't thrill too many people. Come to think of it, even a picture of a REAL heart, with blood vessels and everything, isn't all that romantic! Maybe we should just be glad we have the traditions that we have! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Colors of Love Valentines are usually printed with lots of red, pink, and white. Are these the colors of love? Check out these facts! Cupid's arrows aren't pink or red... they're invisible! Red, the color of blood, is the color of devotion and loyalty. White is the color of purity... but in some Eastern countries, it is the color used for mourning the dead. Pink was usually considered a color for boys before the 1920's! In Asia and the Middle east, red and orange are joyful, festival colors. Blue is considered a color of trust and reliability -- like in "true blue." -- Maybe that's why policemen and baseball umpires often wear blue uniforms! Purple was long considered a royal color. That's because purple dyes were very hard to make and only the rich could afford clothing dyed purple. Green is a color of hope, since the returning of green plants in the spring shows the world coming to life after winter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Good Luck for a Bride An old saying suggests a bride wear to her wedding, Something old and something new Something borrowed and something blue The old item is often something passed down in the family from generation to generation - a sign of respect to those relatives. The new item stands for the new life the wife and husband are starting together. The bride borrows something, usually from a happily married friend or older woman. It shows she wants to share in that happiness. Blue has long been thought of as a color that stands for faithfulness. The bride wears it to show that she and her husband want to be always faithful in their love. 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dukeofyork Posted February 14, 2002 Share Posted February 14, 2002 dude, FUCK VALENTINES DAY... just a scheme by hallmark to make money. and for women to trick men into buying them shit... bah humbug.... :heated: :heated: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pilau Hands Posted February 14, 2002 Share Posted February 14, 2002 On Valentine's Day, the first guy's name you read in the paper or hear on the TV or radio will be the name of the man you will marry. :swooning: Morley Schafer, you're my true love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footsoldier Posted February 14, 2002 Share Posted February 14, 2002 ahhh looks im marrying domonic hasek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobobi11 Posted February 14, 2002 Author Share Posted February 14, 2002 If you see a squirrel on Valentine's Day, you will marry a cheapskate who will hoard all your money. What kind of sick person thought that up??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idonotlikeu Posted February 14, 2002 Share Posted February 14, 2002 thats pretty intresting..im going to look for a gold finch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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