Valentine's Day: 10 Ridiculous superstitions you didn't know

Valentine’s Day: 10 Ridiculous superstitions and traditions

Natasha Gan

13 Feb 2015

updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:21

1/10
A little bird news
It was believed that the first bird you see on Valentine's Day determines the nature of your future spouse. Spotting a robin signified marriage to a sailor while catching a glimpse of a sparrow hinted a wedding with a poor guy. A goldfinch, on the other hand, meant marrying a millionaire! You would want to look for a dove so you can marry a kind man but avoid spotting an owl or you would forever be single. Although now, it might be harder to spot an owl outside your apartment window than to actually find your man.
2/10
The apple of your eye
Back in the day, all parts of the apple were used to their maximum. Women would twist the stem of an apple while reciting the names of potential husbands-to-be. Whichever name they were saying when the stem snapped would be their future spouse. Some would cut the apple in half to count the seeds to know how many kids they would have.
3/10
XOXO
The Victorians used to believe it was bad luck to sign a Valentine's DCard. Instead, they opted for XOXO to express their sincerity.
4/10
Clay balls and hazelnuts
British women would write the names of their potential suitors on bits of paper, cover them in balls of clay and put them in a bowl of water. The first name to float would be their potential spouse. An alternative was hazelnuts; a nut would bear a suitor's name and whichever pops open in the fire is the guy they believed they should marry.
5/10
Heart on your sleeve
One of the rituals celebrating V-Day that dates back to the Middle Ages included writing names of single ladies on strips of paper and drop them into a bowl or hat like the modern-day raffle. An eligible bachelor would then pick out a name and have her as his valentine. The gentleman would wear the name on his sleeve for a week and hence the saying 'wearing one's heart on one's sleeves'. After a week of intimacy, the couples were likely to end up at the altar.
6/10
Rosemary Fairy
Before tooth fairies were cool, it was the reign of the rosemary fairy. Supertitious girls would place a sprig of rosemary under their pillow hoping to dream the face of their dream man.
7/10
To death do us together
Tradition has it that girls, who had the guts, would visit a graveyeard at midnight on the Eve of V-Day and sing a certain chant while running around the church 12 times, just to conjure a vision of their future spouse. Girls back then must be really fit to run around 12 laps while singing.
8/10
Little furry friend
All the Chanel loving, Louboutin wearer, fashionistas out there, you would not want to spot a squirrel on Valentine's Day because cute as it might be, our little furry friend is synonymous with marrying a cheapskate.
9/10
Four-leaf clover
The pretty little four-leaf clover has long been affiliated with good fortune. In the past, single ladies would find a four-leaf clover in their shoe in the morning of Valentine's Day and hope that it would lead them to the love of their life. The leaf would either have them meet their soulmate, or a man bearing the same name.
10/10
Love at first sight
While running around a Church at midnight seems arduous, there was an ancient belief that suggested women to get up before sunrise on the day of Valentine's Day, stand by the window and wait for a man to pass. He might be the one you are already walking down the aisle with, or he might resemble the one who eventually will. Whether it's cutting to the chase, or love at first sight, we are keeping our blinds closed just in case the building's window cleaner is working.

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, but you know what comes before it? Friday the 13th – yikes! Check out these ridiculous superstitions surrounding V-Day.

Tomorrow might be the highly anticipated Valentine’s Day, but it’s very likely there still exists a superstitious bunch out there more occupied with being extra careful on this Friday the 13th.

Origin of Valentine’s Day

With a multitude of hypotheses around how Valentine’s Day came to be, arguably the story that is most widely believed dates back to third-century Roman empire. Emperor Claudius II, or Claudius the Cruel, banned his people from getting married. Saint Valentine resisted to his demise by marrying people quietly. In his final days he spent in prison, he would sign cards “From your Valentine” and the tradition has since lived on. It wasn’t until 1537 that England’s King Henry VII declared Saint Valentine’s last day alive, February 14th, as a holiday.

A myriad of superstitions

With a genesis so tragic, what would otherwise be known as the most romantic day has forever been haunted with superstitions. In the modern day, we may shun the ridiculous concept of superstitions, but let’s all admit we’ve all been scared to be ‘jinx-ed’ in our venture to find the one true love.

Flip through our gallery and see what desperate measures our credulous ancestors, particularly the damsels in distress, have resorted to. We imagine if they were here today on Friday the 13th, they wouldn’t risk leaving the house, even if that means missing the premiere of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Natasha Gan

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Valentine’s Day: 10 Ridiculous superstitions and traditions

Origin of Valentine’s Day

A myriad of superstitions

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