February Brings Tests of Tradition and Love - Why Not Let Her Ask The Question?

By Kimberly Grist 

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 agreed with Phil, predicting an early Spring. One can only hope!

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...

The Language of Love - Poetry

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.


He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. Giacomo Di Chirico, 1872

The Tradition of the Valentine Card



Handmade valentines were popular 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 1865.



The Valentine Candy Tradition of Conversation Hearts

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, which became what we know today as Necco wafers.





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

Finally, My Favorite Bachelor's Day - Let her pop the question

Folklore suggests tradition dating back to the 5th century; St. Patrick decreed that women could propose on one special day every four years, February 29th. The tradition spread across Europe and beyond. In the United States, the tradition conditioned and was sometimes referred to as Bachelor's Day and later Sadie Hawkins' Day.

A Bachelor’s Day postcard from 1908. Source: Wikipedia

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Two brides, a teacher, and an imposter. If anyone can sort out the truth, shouldn't a former bounty hunter and now experienced sheriff be the man for the job? His true bride is quickly losing confidence. "Typical man, so easily bamboozled by a dimpled smile, flash of an ankle, and twisting skirt. It will serve him right if he marries the wrong woman."

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Fans of historical romance set in the late 19th -century will enjoy stories combining, History, Humor, and Romance with an emphasis on Faith, Friends, and Good Clean Fun.


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