More Valentine's Ideas ..
The Legend of St. Valentine's Day centers around lovers of all ages focusing on a bright spot amid the
bleakness of winter. One legend during the Middle Ages, Europeans believed that birds chose their mates each
year on February 14. Lovers developed their own adaptations of this ornithological myth and began the practice
of drawing lots, letting fate decide names of a person's 'Valentine'. Small gifts and sweets were exchanged,
becoming the Valentine practice for the amorously young men and women.
The ancient Romans celebrated a festival of mid-February called Lupercalla in honor of Luperus, the Roman
equivalent of the great god, Pan. Festivals included a match-making ritual in which young men drew the names
of young women who either became their dancing partner during the 'Rites of Pan' or their partner for the year.
As the candy-giving customs grew, American Colonist made homemade candies with love notes scratched in the surface.
By the mid-nineteenth century, candy makers were preparing deliciously flavored sugar lozenges, pressed into hearts
and imprinted with words of love... the beginning of the modern day conversation heart.
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