traditional pagan tradition, many followers of various branches of modern Wicca do send gifts, cards or tokens of affection. However, it is viewed very much as being of greater value if sent anonymously, as with charitable donations.
The Catholic church decided to remove Valentine’s Day from its liturgical calendar in 1969, since when it has no longer been recognised as a religious celebration at all – the occasion has come full circle it seems, though not without a generous helping of fascinating traditions and associations – not to mention much commercialism too.
Many of the traditions we associate with February 14th may well be pagan in origin, but there is much variety nationally, and even regionally. For example, in some parts of Europe, such as the United Kingdom and Italy, the tradition is for women to get up early, before sunrise, and watch through the window. The belief, or at least the tradition, is that the first man they see will be the man they will marry within the year. In some regions this idea has been watered down slightly, possibly due to the limit in the number of available milkmen and postmen, with the belief that the first man seen through the window will look similar to the man they will marry.
Elsewhere in Europe, such as in Denmark, snowdrops are pressed and sent to close friends. Another tradition is to send a Valentine’s Day card, but to replace the letters of the sender’s name with dots – one dot per letter of the name. Should the recipient correctly guess who the sender is from this clue, then the sender should reward their Valentine with an egg at Easter.
Surprisingly, Valentine’s Day is now widely celebrated in many parts of Asia, such as Singapore, China and