Shades of Poland

Before Valentine’s Day -Village Courting in Old Poland

As Valentine’s Day draws near, it is strange to imagine  a time in history, that this special "holiday of love" was  completely unknown to a majority of the world. Although the Catholic and Orthodox Churches venerated the early Christian priest-martyr, St. Valentine for centuries;  a celebration in honour of lovers, with greeting cards, chocolate hearts, and red roses, was almost unfamiliar to most of Europe until recent times.    The Valentine’s holiday of lovers originated during the Renaissance in Elizabethan England, where the tradition of courtly love flourished.  From there, it came to America. In Poland, Valentine's Day or Walentynki (vah-len-TIN-kee) actually did not make it’s appearance until after the...

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