DreamWarrior
01-25-2003, 03:57 PM
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.
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.
Red roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of
love. Also, red is a color
that signifies strong feelings.
Lace has long been used to make women's handkerchiefs. Hundreds of years ago, if
a woman dropped her
handkerchief, a man might pick it up for her. Sometimes, if she had her eye on
the right man, a woman
might intentionally drop her handkerchief to encourage him. So, people began to
think of romance when
they thought of lace.
Love knots have series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no
end. A symbol of
everlasting love, love knots were made from ribbon or drawn on paper.
Lovebirds, colorful birds found in Africa, are so named because they sit closely
together in pairs --
like sweethearts do. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love, because they mate
for life and share the
care of their babies.
How about the "X" sign representing a kiss? This tradition started with the
Medieval practice of
allowing those who could not write to sign documents with an "X". This was done
before witnesses, and
the signer placed a kiss upon the "X" to show sincerity. This is how the kiss
came to be synonymous with
the letter "X", and how the "X" came to be commonly used at the end of letters
as kiss symbols.
(Some believed "X" was chosen as a variation on the cross symbol, while others
believe it might have
been a pledge in the name of Christ, since the "X" -- or Chi symbol -- is the
second letter of the Greek
alphabet and has been used in church history to represent Christ.)
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.
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.
Red roses were said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman goddess of
love. Also, red is a color
that signifies strong feelings.
Lace has long been used to make women's handkerchiefs. Hundreds of years ago, if
a woman dropped her
handkerchief, a man might pick it up for her. Sometimes, if she had her eye on
the right man, a woman
might intentionally drop her handkerchief to encourage him. So, people began to
think of romance when
they thought of lace.
Love knots have series of winding and interlacing loops with no beginning and no
end. A symbol of
everlasting love, love knots were made from ribbon or drawn on paper.
Lovebirds, colorful birds found in Africa, are so named because they sit closely
together in pairs --
like sweethearts do. Doves are symbols of loyalty and love, because they mate
for life and share the
care of their babies.
How about the "X" sign representing a kiss? This tradition started with the
Medieval practice of
allowing those who could not write to sign documents with an "X". This was done
before witnesses, and
the signer placed a kiss upon the "X" to show sincerity. This is how the kiss
came to be synonymous with
the letter "X", and how the "X" came to be commonly used at the end of letters
as kiss symbols.
(Some believed "X" was chosen as a variation on the cross symbol, while others
believe it might have
been a pledge in the name of Christ, since the "X" -- or Chi symbol -- is the
second letter of the Greek
alphabet and has been used in church history to represent Christ.)