This post is about a wonderful and fun holiday - Valentine's Day.
The question is why do we express love on Valentine's Day?
This special holiday is also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, and it is celebrated around the world. The Wikipedia tells us that this day flourished in 19th-century England when courtly lovers expressed their devotion for each other by presenting flowers, candy and sending handwritten greeting cards called valentines, which today, has given way to a mass-produced greeting card business.
As I am writing this blog, I am recalling the elementary School days when Valentine's Day was an important, joyful celebration. It was the fashion that each child obtain an empty box, about the size of a shoe box, and take it to school. The afternoon of the school day was devoted to the decorating of your "box" and placing it on a shelf in the classroom waiting for its contents of valentine cards. I recall the day we decorated those boxes. The classroom smelled of La Pages white paste, which had a definite aroma all of its own, and if you globed it on your box and not carefully smoothed it out there would be a lump beneath your beautifully crafted paper snowflakes, or any other design you chose, also the floor would be a mess with scraps of colored construction paper scattered about after the cutting of fancy designs for the festive boxes. After school the evening hours, of that day, were spent signing small purchased "Valentine Cards" for each of your school mates and signing a special one that was found in the purchased cards for your teacher. Each child would have a list of names, provided by the teacher, to make sure that every child in the classroom would receive his/her special card. No one was to be left out of the celebration. The wonderful "room mothers" would bring treats of cookies and each child would fill himself/herself with the wonderful morsels and feel the excitement of the day.
Oh, the special memories of the wonderful cards like this one shown below.
A very long time ago my father would tie a string to a small Valentine card and place the card on the front door step; then ring the door bell and run and hide. When I came to the door to pick up the colorful card, my dad would pull the long attached string and I would chase it. It was lots of fun and brings back fond memories of the happy, giggly times with my dad.
The season of Valentine would bring out poetry from serious love expression to the comic side of the poet, Shel Silverstein, wrote one entitle "Won't You?" This little ditty always brought a broad smile, which added to the gaiety of the day.
Barbara's eyes are blue as azure,
But she is in love with Freddy.
Karen's sweet, but Harry has her.
Gentle Jane is going steady.
Carol hates me. So does May.
Abigail will not be mine.
Nancy lives too far way...
Won't you be my valentine?
What are your memories of a delightful Valentine's Day?
As I close, I will say...
No comments:
Post a Comment