Welcome to the Valentine’s Day Blog Hop.
It’s been wonderful flicking through and reading all the
interesting and inspiring thoughts of my fellow writers around the fascinating
subject of Valentine’s Day. It brings us back to the heart of what it's all about. As a celebratory day, it can be dismissed as a
“Hallmark Holiday”, particularly given its natural popularity never quite
reached that of its counterpart - Halloween - in Anglophile countries, and
tends to be driven by commercial interests. But those of us who love it know that there is more going on than just a fresh new way to part with our dollars.
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| My book Take it as it Comes is a modern day romance between an older career woman and her sexy male "manny." Click on the image for a blurb about the book. |
I was once a V-Day cynic. My contention was always that
declarations of love flowed naturally, or if they needed to be ritualised, were
far better done so in the intimacy of the connection, creating small patterns
of gratitude and awareness between a couple that suited the relationship. This
is all very well for a writer who spends every minute of every day trying to
think of new ways to reveal the world through words, but one of the great loves
of my youth (despite my love for my husband, I am and always will be grateful for
my previous lovers) turned to me one day and said:
“Valentine’s Day is for men who badly want to profess their
love and don’t know how.”
When I looked into the roots (!) of Valentine’s Day, I found
that this is precisely why it was re-birthed in the late eighteenth century.
Despite its deep foundations in our religious practises and otherwise, the
modern version of Valentine’s day was born with the overwhelming success of a
published book called The
Young Man's Valentine Writer, a charming book of verse specifically designed to assist the enamoured
young man trying to gain the attention of an admired female.
This book, coupled
with the release of cards with verse and sketches that could be seent through
the post at a discount rate sparked the drive for anonymous notes to be sent to
admired others, a supply apparently so needed, by the early nineteenth century,
entire factories were built simply to service the demand.
"Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat."Ben Hecht
So, over the next
fourteen days, as we build to the climax (pardon the pun) of the love-liest day
of the year, spare a thought for the men (and women) around the world who
remain fashionably silent, but still relish the opportunities Valentine’s Day
offer them to reach out and say “I love you” to the person who captured their
heart at the same time as they tied their tongue.
To follow the Valentines Day Blog Hop, check out the wonderful writers below and take advantage of the competition that's there also. I'll be running more Valentines Day posts here, so be sure to pop back every now and then and check it out.
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ReplyDeleteLovely Post . I like it .
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ReplyDeleteNice Post Thanks for sharing
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