Valentine's Day Celebration in France

Valentine’s Day is celebrated with grandeur in France. Exchanging gifts, cards, and flowers is common. In fact the custom of sending cards to your loved one started for the first time in France. Unlike in other countries where history of Valentine’s Day was closely associated with Saint Valentine being imprisoned in jail by Emperor Claudius II and when he fell in love with the jailor’s daughter, history of Valentine’s Day in France has another story to relate.

It is believed that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the month of February in France because birds and animals migrate to distant places for mating. For this reason the celebration of love takes place during this period.
 

History of Valentine’s Day cards in France

It is believed that a Frenchman named Charles, who was the Duke of Orleans wrote for the first time a valentine note to his wife. He wrote a poem for his wife from the Tower of London after he lost the Battle of Agincourt in the year 1415. Later on these notes changed into Valentine cards and they are sent till date. In France the Valentine’s Day cards are known as cartes d’amities.

“Drawing for” – a Valentine tradition in France

“Drawing for” or “une loterie d’amour” is an old custom that is associated with Valentine’s Day traditions in France. In this young men used to walk straight into the houses of the young women living in the house just opposite to his.

The man used to woo the young women till the time the women was not convinced and didn’t agree to pair up. For those women, who were not approached, the women used to make images of the men and burn them in public. As the images burnt, they used to abuse the men for rejecting the lady.

However, this practice has been banned in France owing to the fact that in some places this tradition led to adverse situations. This is because on several instances, a young lady had to pair off with a man who was wicked and not suitable for the lady.

St Valentin in France on Valentine’s Day

If you are religious in nature, you can set off for St Valentin, which is a village situated in Valentin. This village has been named after Saint Valentine, the man who is known to be an icon of love.

Eating out on Valentine’s Day in France

Eating out is one of the common activities that take place on this day meant for the lovebirds. Check out few of the restaurants in Paris where you can enjoy a delicious lunch or dinner. These restaurants are –

Les Bouquinistes
Bofinger
Le Chiberta
Carre des Feuillants
Le Grand Colbert
Le Coq de la Maison Blanche
Many hotels in different parts of France offer Valentine’s Day packages for couples. Most of these packages usually start from SD$949. But you can opt for a tailor made vacation package to. Starting from Louvre art museums to Eiffel Tower, there are innumerable places you can visit on Valentine’s Day in France.

Latest Updated on 28/12/2010