Sweet Americana Sweethearts: February History & Tradition by Kimberly Grist

February Packed with History and Tradition

Although our shortest month, February, also known as the month of love, is packed with events and rich with history.

Spring Where Are You?

As German settlers migrated to the United States in the 19th century, they brought with them the skill of predicting the weather based on bears and badgers hibernation habits. After settling, they switched from hedgehogs to groundhogs, which were plentiful in Pennsylvania. Woodchucks aka groundhogs, are true hibernators and rely entirely on body fat to make it through the winter.

The Tradition of Groundhog Day

In the late 1880s, a group of local hunters caught the attention of the editor of the Punxsutawney Spirit, Clymer H. Freas. He became so captivated by the local folklore he promoted Punxsutawney as the home of the now infamous weather predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. Another forecasting groundhog, Gen. Beauregard Lee in my native state of Georgia, has unfortunately predicted six more weeks of winter this year.

Tests of Love

The Apple Peel Love Test

Another tradition, brought to us from Holland, was the Apple Peel love test. According to legend, one must skin an apple all in one strip and throw it over your shoulder. When it falls to the ground, the initial of your intended will be revealed.

The Daisy Game

Originating in France during Medieval times the game is played by while plucking the petals from a flower and reciting:

He loves me, he loves me not...

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's sonnet, which was a personal declaration of her love for her future husband was written between 1845 and 1846. Their courtship and marriage were carried out secretly because of her father's disapproval.

The Tradition of the Valentine Card

Handmade valentines were popular up until the 1850s when mass-produced cards began to be produced. The popularity of the card continued to grow and as the dark years of the Civil War were ending, the New York City Post reported more than 66,000 Valentines mailed in 1965.

A Passed on Tradition

Perhaps not as well known today, but during the Victorian era, another type of card known as "vinegar valentines" and sometimes called penny dreadfuls became popular.

In stark contrast to the hand made version or carefully penned love note, the "vinegar valentines" were more of an anti-valentine card and contained insults and a comic illustration. They were also sent anonymously.

The Valentine Candy Tradition

In 1847 Oliver Chase, a pharmacist made lozenges by hand. After an increase in orders from apothecary shops, he rigged his homemade lozenge cutter to keep up with demand. He later switched his production to candy lozenges became what we know today as Necco wafers.

In 1866, his brother Daniel invented the machine that could press food dye onto the candy. The sweet which would evolve into what we know today as conversation hearts.

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Ambitious to a fault, enterprising Lois Weaver opens a dress shop to highlight her sewing skills but attracts the wrong kind of attention from the town’s eligible bank owner. She has her eye set on farmer Daniel Lawrence, but when he takes in a widowed sister and niece due to a sudden accident, their attraction derails. Her heart determined, Lois sets propriety aside to initiate a romantic connection with her farmer friend. Will her daring decision prove worth the risk?

Combining history, humor, and romance with an emphasis on faith, friends, and good clean fun, fans of historical romance set in late 19th-century will enjoy Lois's Risk By Kimberly Grist a delightful tale of courage and reminds us how God uses adversity to strengthen us and draw us closer to Him