A genuine Valentine’s Day tradition: the rich giving to the poor
Valentine’s Day in 2020 is all about the commercialisation of romantic lurve.
Of course there were other more robust Valentine’s traditions which have been edged out of history
In his book about traditions, Stations of the Sun, Ronald Hutton notes the existence of Valentining.
It was mainly for children who demanded from wealthy neighbours Valentine’s gifts for themselves and dates back the eighteenth century.
Needless to say as with many of these traditions it was robust and accompanied by rhymes containing veiled threats:
Good morrow, Valentine,
First ‘tis yours and then ‘tis mine
So please give me a Valentine
A tradition well worth reviving in the age of Boris Johnson
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