Valentines’Day in old England was traditionally a combination of the martyrdom of St. Valentine (14th Februrary,AD 273),with the pagan  celebration of Lupercalia (15th Februrary),a festival for young people of marriageable age,when the boys would draw a girls name out of an urn and then pair off with their chosen date for the year.

 Nobody is quite sure why 14th Februrary was chosen to honour St. Valentine- perhaps it represented the first day of spring in whichever French region invented the custom – but the practice in England of choosing sweethearts on this day can be traced back as far as 14th century count circles.

 It is stange to think that St.Valentine,who was renowed for his chastity,has become the patron saint of lovers.It is now customary for the English to send anonymous cards and presents to a person they admire- in fact, Valentine cards made of parchment were sent as long ago as the 15 th century.The first written reference to St. Valentine and his role as patron to loverswas probably first coined by Chaucer (1340- 1400) in his poem Parliament of Foules. For it was on St. Valentine’s Day that every fowl cometh to chose his mate.Thirty years later.the poet John Lydgate used the word’Valentine to describe both loved-one and the poem sent to them.

At one time,it was believed that a girl should place a bay leaf or yarrow under her pillow at night in ordre to see her future lover in her dreams.Boys would also present their desired ones with a pair of gloves- a symbol of both love and authority.

In some parts of England,children would go from door to door early in the morning,singing “Good morrow, Valentine”,expecting to be given cakes,fruit or money,and in Norwich,people laid anonymous packages on doorsteps,banged the knocker and hurried away.For a period,it was also common to send ones Valentine a jokey gift or worthless item beautifully wrapped.