Valentine of Vestiges

Disentangling the heaps of papers on my desk, I found letters from friends of long ago. These were traces of my lost memories, remembrance of the forgotten past and mementos of attachments and affections. Excited, I rummaged through the pile and to my utmost delight, the color red came into view.  The shade elated me. Toting up such feeling was the calendar flanking the silver figurines and leafy caps that I possessed. The calendar stressed the month, February.

Oh! How could I forget? Exactly the month of hearts. I would begin by saying that at this point, malls, arcades and little kiosks would start to fill up with eclectic Valentine items. If there’s such thing as holiday rush, would Valentine rush be permissible? Surely. But not as hectic as Christmas.

Valentine’s Day is a definite high for lovers. Restaurants and diners will be flooded with sweethearts on that fateful day, February 14. Roses and chocolates would be offered, cards exchanged.

The Valentine goodies previously mentioned largely quantify the essence of celebrating the month of hearts. Dating back to history, symbols such as cupid, chocolates, hearts, arrows and the like all have great significance on Valentine’s Day. I would like to impart some valuable information behind these representations.

• Cutie Cupid

Perhaps the most popular symbol for Valentine’s Day. Originally, Cupid was shown as a young man with bow and arrows. In the course of time, he went from a handsome young man to a chubby baby. The reason for this was that, during the Victorian era, people want to make Valentine’s Day more appropriate for women and children. Hence, they brushed aside the Adonis-figure and altered Cupid’s looks into a pudgy baby. Victims of Cupid’s invisible arrow would not be aware that they were shot until they fell in love.

• Hearts & Arrows

The most common shape and look embedded in Valentine’s items such as candles, candies, cookies, cakes etc. Be it pink or red, the heart is both a symbol of love and vulnerability. A heart pierced with an arrow simply means that if you have the urge to give someone a Valentine’s card, you take the risk of being rejected and hurt. Centuries before, the heart and arrow also signifies the merging of the female and male as one.

•Mushy Valentine’s Card

It’s so sweet of lovers to exchange cards full of whimsical notes and lovable lines. This custom dates back to the Roman  Lupercalia festival with the names being drawn. But actually, the British were the first to popularize the act of signifying one’s feelings to someone by means of a printed card. It was started by Charles, Duke of Orleans, wherein he sent Valentine poems to his wife in France when he was imprisoned in his jail cell.

• Romantic Roses

Considered to be love tokens even before there was Valentines Day. The Roman God of Wine, Bacchus and Goddess of Love and Beauty Venus both deemed the beauty and fragrance of flowers to be tied with romance and love. But ever since Solomon became King, the most important flower associated to romance was always the rose. It was also known that Cleopatra of Egypt bedecked the floor with roses before receiving Mark Anthony.

• Sweet Chocolates

Chocolates are always an indispensable element of Valentine’s Day. Sugary aroma, full-bodied taste and smooth texture, chocolates are long-standing symbol of the special intimacy between lovers. History has it that a Spanish princess once sent cacao to Louis XIV as an engagement gift. Legendary and sweet, no wonder chocolate has caught on as the gift of love. And have you noticed that Valentine’s Day chocolates ought to be different from ordinary ones?

• Valentine Lace

Delicate and exquisite, the laces connection to love and romance can be traced to ancient times. When kings and knights went to battles, their ladylove handed them special laces. There is also another reason credited to the recognition of laces as Valentine’s Day symbol. Years before, ladies used to carry lace handkerchiefs. If a lady inadvertently dropped her hanky, courtesy demanded that the man standing nearby should pick up the hanky for her. Other times, ladies purposely drop their hankies in front of the man they fancy. As a result, laces became a tool in the hands of ladies to encourage romance. The association of lace with romance then started when people began using paper lace to decorate chocolate boxes and Valentine cards.

• Love Knots

Another symbol of Valentine’s Day, love knots represent a love that will last forever. Love knots are a series of winding and intertwining loops  with no beginning nor end. The symbol goes back to the early Arab customs when young Muslim women living in strict orthodox households expressed love to young men through furtive messages woven through knots of a carpet. Lovers then read the text by turning the knot around. 

•Love Birds and Doves

Lovebirds and doves are certainly appealing and popular figures on Valentine’s Day. It was believed that in the olden times, birds found their mate on February 14. Fascinatingly, lovers across the world still hold on to this belief.

The very main cause why doves and lovebirds are considered strongly as a symbol of Valentine’s Day is that while doves signify purity, innocence and humility, picture of lovebirds generate the vision of couple in love.