ShowMe South Africa

Article by Marki Franken

It’s that time of year again when love is in the air “love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong and all we need is love.”

Yes, the sea of red that assaults the eyes when we dare set foot in any shop is the clarion call to signal that Valentine’s Day is waiting just around the corner.

For some, Valentine’s Day is a day of “exploitative commercialism that has nothing to do with love” while the true romantics are just looking for an excuse to celebrate love with everything sweet, dreamy, endearing or fluffy. In reality, Valentine’s Day has little to do with love. According to Wikipedia, that trusty fountain of information, the tradition started as a feast day to celebrate St Valentine. Unfortunately, there are so many St Valentines, that nobody is entirely sure which one we celebrate.

The story goes that St Valentine married Christian couples when the Roman Empire banned all Christian sacraments, including marriage. None of the known Valentines had anything to do with love, marriage or couples.

Some people believe that the ancient Roman tradition of Lupercalia was the origin of Valentine’s Day. The Lupercalia festival was partly in honour of Lupa, the she-wolf who suckled the infant orphans, Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. Young men ran around the city, striking everybody in their paths with leather thongs. Girls and young women would line up on their route to receive lashes from these whips. This was supposed to ensure fertility, prevent sterility in women and ease the pains of childbirth. Hardly romantic, is it?

Luckily, no evidence is available to link Valentine’s Day with Lupercalia. The celebration of Saint Valentine did not have any romantic connotations until the famous English writer, Chaucer’s poetry about “Valentines” in the 14th century. In 1797, a British publisher issued “The Young Man’s Valentine Writer,” which held counts of sentimental rhymes for the young paramour unable to compose his own. Printers had already begun producing a limited number of cards with verses and sketches, called “mechanical valentines,” and a decrease in postal rates in the next century marshalled in the less personal but easier practice of mailing Valentines. In the second half of the 20th century, the tradition of swapping cards was extended to all kinds of gifts. Such gifts classically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion for giving jewellery. Now thát is a reason to celebrate!

this day is the perfect excuse to indulge in chocolates…

 

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This easy chocolate recipe is guaranteed to spice up any Valentine’s Day celebration:

Ingredients: 400g good quality dark chocolate 250ml cream 60ml softened, unsalted butter Flavouring (optional):10 ml liqueur of your choice or 4 tablespoons of chopped nuts or a pinch of chilli   Method: 

• Melt the cream and chocolate in a double boiler until smooth. Allow to cool to room temperature and beat in the butter. Make sure the butter is mixed in well. Add the flavourings of your choice and mix in.
• Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is firm enough to roll little balls with. Using a teaspoon or a melon baller, make and roll balls of truffles and place on some greaseproof paper. 
• Refrigerate for another 30 minutes. Sift some cocoa/icing sugar onto a plate or melt some dark chocolate in a bowl and cover the truffles with whichever topping you choose. Truffles can be kept for up to 2 weeks in the fridge and must be eaten within a week if not refrigerated.

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  Whether you believe in the romance of Valentine’s Day or feel like the Grinch who stole passion, this day is the perfect excuse to indulge in chocolates. And a little advice… to all the men out there, never tell the love of your life that Valentine’s Day is a rip-off. Rather smile, fork out the cash and make sure that the rest of the year is just as sweet as the chocolate recipe above!