Valentine

[Aaryanna]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]With Valentines Day coming up I started wondering what different people around the world do on Valentines Day. ^_^ I did some looking around and found different traditions. For example:[/COLOR]

[INDENT][COLOR=DarkRed]Hundreds of years ago in England, many children dressed up as adults on St. Valentine's Day. They went singing from home to home. One verse they sang was:
Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.[/COLOR] [/INDENT]

[INDENT][COLOR=DarkRed]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.[/COLOR][/INDENT]

[INDENT][COLOR=DarkRed]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.[/COLOR]
[/INDENT]
[INDENT][COLOR=DarkRed]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.[/COLOR]
[/INDENT]
[INDENT][COLOR=DarkRed]If you cut an apple in half and count how many seeds are inside, you will also know how many children you will have.[/COLOR][/INDENT]
[INDENT]
[COLOR=DarkRed]In Wales wooden love spoons were carved and given as gifts on February 14th. Hearts, keys and keyholes were favorite decorations on the spoons. The decoration meant, "You unlock my heart!"[/COLOR][/INDENT]

[INDENT] [COLOR=DarkRed]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.[/COLOR][/INDENT]
[INDENT]
[COLOR=DarkRed]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![/COLOR][/INDENT]
[INDENT]
[COLOR=DarkRed]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.[/COLOR][/INDENT]
[INDENT]
[COLOR=DarkRed]Some people said if you found a glove on the road on Valentine's Day, your future beloved would have the other missing glove.[/COLOR][/INDENT]
[INDENT]
[COLOR=DarkRed]Some believed the first man's name you read in the paper or hear would be the name of the man you will marry.[/COLOR][/INDENT]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]When I was in grade school we would give Valentine?s cards to each of our classmates. As for having a tradition in my family, my Mom gets cookies, candy and flowers and we give them to several of the elderly widows in our neighborhood. ^_^

So what type of traditions do you guys have? Or what do you do on Valentines Day?
[/COLOR][list][/list]

[Cyriel]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1][quote name='Aaryanna']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.[/quote]I was just wondering what happens if the woman doesn't want to marry the man? Does she give him the clothes back? Burn the clothes? Or give them to someone else? Dear me, bad things could result from miscommunication here. :animeswea

As for Valentine's Day...it's never really been a big thing for me or my family. Just like your experience, Valentine's Day was the day that everyone in class would bring cards with candies, and pass them out to everyone. Of course, the coolest kids of the day would be the ones who handed out the best candy, or the trendiest cards at the time (Power Rangers, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pokemon, Animaniacs...) Funny thing is, I had a Valentine's Day party in my junior year of high school, and it seemed that the same cards were still "cool." Hurrah for the longevity of childhood cartoons!

Of course, when reading anime, you always see bishi boys being given avalanches of chocolates by their screaming student fangirls...which makes me wonder if that really happens. Well, whatever the case, I've always wanted to try my hand at making home-made chocolates, and then giving them to some ideal boy without being crushed in the stampede. Looks and sounds exciting ^_^;;.[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Sayuri-sama]

ya kno in japan the girls give the guys chocolate that had to be stictly home made! and exactly one month later , march 4, the guy had to give a retun gift to the girl. if he didnt it was a huge sign of disrespect. but firnds also gave each other chocolate or whatever!:animesmil

[Horendithas]

[COLOR=Indigo]My family doesn?t do anything for Valentine?s Day, other than my Dad as he always gets my Mom a really nice present and takes her out to a romantic dinner so to speak.

Recently though I?ve been helping my landlady every year since the religion she belongs to buys little rose plants and they give one to each mother and single woman in their ward. Even though I do not belong to their religion it is fun helping her take the plants, or whatever gift they decide on, around to the members of her ward. [/COLOR]

[Guest MaruDashi]

I dont do anything special really...but the traditions in other countries are so sweet =) (Im such a romantic)

[NinjaGirlSango]

[SIZE=2][CENTER]In elementary school we did the whole passing around valentines thing.
Now that I'm older I don't do anything, really.
Some of the traditions, though, sound really cute![/CENTER][/SIZE]

[Delta]

[COLOR=#790A43][SIZE=1]We've only been doing this for two Valentine's now but it really is good fun. The organizer writes pairs of numbers on paper hearts then cuts them in half and mixes them up. The players will draw a half-heart each from the lot then look for the person who's got the other half. Rule of the game is, participants with matching hearts have to do something extra-nice to each other come Valentine's Day.

Certainly feels nice, knowing I've got a date on Valentine's. *cackle*![/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Pumpkin]

[SIZE=1]This sounds sad, but I've never spent Valentines Day with someone special before. Luckily, I have a boyfriend around this time of year for once. When I was younger, we use to keep fake mailboxes in our "cubbies" and we would put little paper valentines in eachother's boxes.

Not to brag, but mine was always filled full so I'd try and make everyone in the class one that was special and unique. Now, I don't really do anything. Although....I've been trying to get my boyfriend to buy me something special (babyphat perfume "goddess" *ahem*) and even had my mom hint to him about it. Even if I do end up getting a nice gift, that's not whats important. I suppose this year we'll probably go on a nice date or something. Which is nice, because we're starting to act like a boring old married couple. It's nice to try something new. [/SIZE]

[IceRose]

Unfortunetly I'm a hater when it comes to valentine's day. I mean its just a candy coorporation scam to make people buy lots of chocolate. Hehehe, just kidding. I usually just go around and hug all my friends and send them the usual candy gram, my ex broke up with me on Valentine's day so I don't really care that much for the holiday, I mean there are other holidays for sweets like Halloween or Christmas :animeswea

[SunfallE]

[COLOR=DarkOliveGreen]I don?t really do much for Valentines Day. I do send e-cards or messages to my friends but that?s about it. As for my family, my Dad always gives each of us a little gift. Nothing big, just some flowers or chocolates.

My parents belong to the LDS Church and just like they do in indifference?s area they give out plants or some other little gift to all the mothers and single women in their ward. And groups of them take similar gifts to the nearby homes for the elderly who need assisted living.

Overall though it?s not much of a holiday around here, except for the kids who exchange Valentines cards at the elementary schools.[/COLOR]

[Guest Otaku BombShell]

[FONT=Tahoma][COLOR=RoyalBlue]In Japan it is tradition to give the one you care about teddy bears. I have never really had a tradition yet though...Maybe I should come up with one (-^^-)[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Kanariya]

[size=1][font=georgia]Personally, I have no traditions myself because Valentine's Day isn't a really big thing. If anything, my mom gives me a small box of chocolates with a small teddy bear. (Last year I recieved a 'The Blue Book', about to cheer up and not be so sad...>>) But at school they make it ridiculous.

On Valentine's Day, many students will dress in white pants, pink or red shirts (even if we have uniforms), have hearts drawn on their skin, and attach pink and red post it notes everywhere on themselves. The school, of course supports the 'romance', and for 75 cents you can send a 'Candygram' to someone, which is I think a piece of paper with candy attached to it or something (I'm not into the whole thing, I don't know for sure). You can buy a flower instead of a candy for a dollar more, if you wish.

And naturally, lots of couples will be holding hands or holding each other or something. Heh, Red Rover time.[/size][/font]

[Frankie]

Unfortunatly due to a horrible dark past I shall not discuss I have grown to hate the whole valentines day thing. Dont get me wrong here people, I think the whole "love" thing is great and all but... I dunno its just ever sicne I was very young id get very deeply depressed during this month and still do to this very day. Matter of fact Im kidan depressed right now but I am slowly growing out of it.

Perhaps it is because I never had anyone to give valentines to or never got any. Of the brainwashing I got when I was a kid in a bad situation. Whatever the cause as I said I am slowly growing out of it.

Eventually I will get back into the whole "Valentines is nice"

Not going into details when I was very young even saying the word valentine meant punishment of the painful kind so *twitch* Yeah... memories and such. But in a way i sit back and look at Valentines day and think of how lucky every one is or how cute the holiday is in its own way but its never been a think iv participated in.

[elfpirate]

My Valentine tradition is usually to buy small gifts for the immediate family, for no particular reason, and then to sit in front of the tele, by myself, eating those horrid, yet addicting chalky message hearts until I start to gag and vomit.

(This is not a holiday I enjoy by any means, regardless of my romantic circumstance by the time it rolls round every year)

[vegeta rocker]

Last year my boyfriend broke up with me on the twelth of february. Then we got back together on the sixteenth.

He broke up with me this past january and now i have to deal with the fact that the sixteenth of this year would have been a year together.

Bastard.

[2010DigitalBoy]

Usually I just give a piece of candy to each of my friends. This year (Note that just about every year I live in a different house) I decided to make each of my friends a personalized card. It's half a valentines card, and half a goodbye card since I'm moving this week.