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nbsp;nbsp;St. Valentines Day, February 14th, has been a

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nbsp;nbsp;St. Valentines Day, February 14th, has been a customary day for lt; choosing sweethearts and exchanging love-tokens from time immemorial.
nbsp;nbsp;Countless generations of young people have acknowledged St. Valentine as the friend and patron of lovers, and, lt; according to a country tradition which was known at least as early as the fourteenth century, so have the birds.
nbsp;nbsp;There was a common belief that all birds choose their mates on February 14th, lt; a pleasant, if slightly inaccurate notion which still survives in some districts as a tale told to children.
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nbsp;nbsp;It is true that nothing whatever is known about St. Valentine lt; that would suggest such a patronage.
nbsp;nbsp;In the Roman Martyrology there are two martyrs of that name, lt; one a Roman priest who perished in A. D. 269, the other an Umbrian bishop who was executed in A. D. 273.
nbsp;nbsp;It is not clear which of the two is really the lovers saint and so far as we know, lt; there is no historical reason why either of them should be so regarded.
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nbsp;nbsp;The method of choosing sweethearts on St. Valentines Day lt; varied in different times and places.
nbsp;nbsp;Present-giving on this day lt; was not confined to sweethearts.
nbsp;nbsp;Until very recently, lt; children used to go about singing,
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nbsp;nbsp;Norfolk children were supposed to go out before sunrise, and any demand for largesse after the sun had risen lt; could be refused on the grounds that the asker was sunburnt.
nbsp;nbsp;In Norwich, and elsewhere in the country, until towards the end of last century, lt; St. Valentines Eve was a great present-giving anniversary for adults as well as children.
nbsp;nbsp;Anonymous gifts of all kinds, ranging from mere trifles to quite expensive objects, lt; were laid upon the doorsteps of houses.
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nbsp;nbsp;A bang on the knocker and the sound of hastily retreating footsteps warned the inmates of the house lt; that one of these secret packages had arrived, but the giver, or his messenger, took care to be out of sight before the door could be opened.
nbsp;nbsp;Nothing in or on the parcel indicated whence it had come, for secrecy was considered essential, lt; and a great part of the fun of St. Valentines Eve consisted in trying to identify the unknown giver.
nbsp;nbsp;At one time, the presents bought and given on this anniversary were more numerous, and often more valuable, lt; than those given at Christmas.
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nbsp;nbsp;The Valentine card that we know today came into being during the eighteenth century lt; when the expensive gifts of earlier years had gone out of fashion.
nbsp;nbsp;At first it was хэнд-мейд, with little paintings of hearts and flowers, lt; and a short verse composed by the sender.
nbsp;nbsp;Such pleasant proofs of devotion are not yet quite extinct, and the хэнд-written lt; and хэнд-painted Valentine can still be seen occasionally though its verses are now rarely original.
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nbsp;nbsp;The commercial card appeared in the nineteenth century, complete ready-мейд sentiments and decorations, embossed, lt; brightly coloured and gilded, and later on, lace-edged, perfumed and packed in a neat box.
nbsp;nbsp;Since it saved much mental effort and careful handwork, lt; its popularity was immediate and lasting.
nbsp;nbsp;Thousands of these cards were sent through the post every year, lt; and the steadily increasing flood did not fail until almost the end of Queen Victorias reign.
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nbsp;nbsp;Eventually, however, a decline set in, partly, no doubt, because customs do naturally decay as ideas and fashions change, lt; but partly also because of a growing dislike for the so-called humorous Valentine.
nbsp;nbsp;This, which had grown up under the shadow of the sentimental original, was sometimes really humorous, but usually, lt; it was extremely vulgar and often definitely cruel in intention.
nbsp;nbsp;Today it is once more quite well known and used by many young people all over the country, lt; though it has not yet recovered (and probably never will) the enormous popularity of its Victorian hey-day.
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nbsp;nbsp;Both types fell into disfavor together, and it was not lt; until the thirties of the present century that the romantic Valentine came back into fashion.
nbsp;nbsp;The Guy Fawkes Carnival held at Bridgewater, Somerset, on the Thursday nearest to November 5th, lt; is believed to date back unbroken except for the war years, to the original event in 1605.
nbsp;nbsp;The carnival is noted lt; for the many thousands of squibs which are used.
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nbsp;nbsp;For many generations these were made in the homes and local shops, lt; but for safety reasons these were banned and only factory-мейд ones are permitted.
nbsp;nbsp;There is an extremely well-organized celebration lt; at Winchester, Hampshire.
nbsp;nbsp;College students and many other organizations in the city prepare elaborate guys, lt; for which prizes are awarded.
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nbsp;nbsp;The guy awarded the first prize has the honour of being lt; the first to be cast upon the huge bonfire, the other prize-winners following in order of merit.
nbsp;nbsp;Coffee and hot-dogs are in plentiful supply, lt; and a grand time is had by the thousands of onlookers.
nbsp;nbsp;Easter is also a time when certain old traditions are observed, lt; whether it is celebrated as the start of spring or religious festival.