Basic HTML Version
29
www.deltalivingmagazine.com
January – March
Photo by
Tue Nam Ton
By Johnny Steele
www.johnnysteele.com
I
t’s time once again forVal-
entine’s Day, the holiday
of romance. Interestingly Val-
entine's Day began as a non-
romantic holiday, became a ro-
mantic holiday in the Middle
Ages, becoming a non-roman-
tic holiday again in 1971 when
my father celebrated by giving
my mother a rake.
Valentine’s Day is recog-
nized around the world with
each country having its own
customs. In Slovenia, for ex-
ample, people celebrate by pre-
One comics’
serious
view of
romance on Valentine’s Day
paring the vineyards for spring.
In parts of England people cel-
ebrate by leaving gifts at their
neighbors' back doors.
Here in the U.S. there are
many customs associated with
Valentine’s Day including the
exchange of notecards known
simply as valentines. This tra-
dition began in the 19th Cen-
tury when life was quite rural.
As such, many early cards read
something like this:
Roses 'er red
Violets 'er blue
Y'er nearly as purdy
As varmint stew
Despite these sorry
beginnings, the popu-
larity of valentines
have grown immense-
ly and every Febru-
ary men buy millions of
them (or else).
Presenting your lover, or
mistress, with owers is an
absolute must. So says The
Association Of People Who
Make An Obscene Amount Of
Money Selling Flowers OnVal-
entine’s Day. They also suggest
that the right amount of mon-
ey to spend on Valentine's Day
owers is the equivalent of the
annual gross domestic product
of Sierra Leone.
Chocolate is also very popu-
lar gift. Some estimate that over
a billion pounds of chocolate
are consumed every Valentine’s
Day, with two-thirds of it being
eaten by Kirstie Alley alone.
Being romantically chal-
lenged, I dread Valentine’s Day
like Mitt Romney's pets dread
a car trip. But this year I have
drafted up the perfect little
valentine poem to woo my
sweetie:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Instead of a rake
I got you lingerie I can see
through
Okay, maybe I should have
gone with the chocolate.
thursday