mr_jez (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} mr_jez) wrote,@ 2009-02-10 22:42:00 |
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Old Father Valentine
I have 'inherited' an old Norfolk tradition from a friend of mine, and I do my bit to spread it around my neck of the woods, 'cos it's great fun!
Father Valentine leaves gifts on the eve of Valentine's Day, or thereabouts. He places them on the doorstep of the recipient, knocks on the door, and disappears into thin air, or beats a hasty retreat! If someone answers the door, and spots the gift, the traditional response is to shout, "Thank you Father Valentine!" at a volume that will be audible to anyone who happens to be concealed in nearby shrubbery... ;o)
Gifts tend to come as a selection box of things, and whilst some variants of the tradition involve considerable expense, I rather like the one that says that gifts should be cheap, and preferably slightly daft or peculiar.
The appeal of the tradition is that it is inclusive and creative. Father Valentine can leave gifts for friends, kids, parents or grandparents, and whilst he can leave romantic gifts for a lover, such things move away from the crass, commercial circus that is the popular alternative.
Go on, why not raise a few smiles by gifting someone with a beautifully wrapped and amusingly shaped vegetable!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/ar
I have 'inherited' an old Norfolk tradition from a friend of mine, and I do my bit to spread it around my neck of the woods, 'cos it's great fun!
Father Valentine leaves gifts on the eve of Valentine's Day, or thereabouts. He places them on the doorstep of the recipient, knocks on the door, and disappears into thin air, or beats a hasty retreat! If someone answers the door, and spots the gift, the traditional response is to shout, "Thank you Father Valentine!" at a volume that will be audible to anyone who happens to be concealed in nearby shrubbery... ;o)
Gifts tend to come as a selection box of things, and whilst some variants of the tradition involve considerable expense, I rather like the one that says that gifts should be cheap, and preferably slightly daft or peculiar.
The appeal of the tradition is that it is inclusive and creative. Father Valentine can leave gifts for friends, kids, parents or grandparents, and whilst he can leave romantic gifts for a lover, such things move away from the crass, commercial circus that is the popular alternative.
Go on, why not raise a few smiles by gifting someone with a beautifully wrapped and amusingly shaped vegetable!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/ar
