Love birds: nature lore and valentine’s day

Valentines Card with birds and fish by Lizzie Ault

The image of two fondling love birds on a Valentine’s card may be considered very cheesy by some. But there is a strong association between birds and Valentines day in folk traditions.

Many of us know that Valentine’s day was originally a Christian feast day and has transformed into a highly commercial holiday celebrating romantic love. Some think that Valentine’s day was created to replace the Roman fertility festival Lupercalia. During this festival an order of monks would run naked through the streets whipping women with the bloody hides of sacrificed animals. This was welcomed by the women, apparently, as they believed it would bring fertility and easy childbirth. Women were also paired off by lottery during this festival. Not what I would call romantic, especially by modern standards.

February is a time when the changes in the seasons may often begin to be felt. By Candlemas or Imbolc on the 2nd of February we can feel the light begin to increase and I have often noticed a sense of urgency in the bird calls around this time. Bulbs will be pushing up through the soil and the earliest flowers can be seen to open. We observe the vernal equinox around March 20th, when day and night are generally of equal length. Spring is a popular time for many animals to mate and raise young. Indeed, the first written reference to Valentines day is in Chaucer’s 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” he wrote,

“For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

This may have led to a generally held folk belief that all birds choose their mate on 14th February or Valentine’s day. People might even have given quails eggs to signify romance as they were supposed to enhance beauty and fertility.

This is not the only reference to birds on Valentine’s day. In Britain it was believed that the first bird a woman saw on 14th February would predict the character of her future spouse. For example: Seeing a Canary might mean you will marry a doctor, seeing a goldfinch might mean you would marry someone rich, doves meant a happy marriage, turkeys signified a nature lover or environmentalist, while seeing a crow meant that you should walk away from a current relationship. The act of using birds to predict the future is called ornithomancy.

Many birds have year round associations with love. Swans and hoopoes are considered to be loyal and cuckoos, a harbinger of spring, also signify a happy marriage. Dove releases at weddings (although ill advised) symbolise harmony and peace.

I think that Valentine’s day’s connection with the change in the seasons and the habits of birds and mammals is plausible. The unpredictability of weather and the seasons, especially of late would make a specific date unlikely but I could believe that there is a change in behaviour around that time. Perhaps take a moment on the day to observe the behaviour of the birds in your garden or local park. Do they seem to be choosing their mates? Can you notice any new signs of spring on this day that weren’t there before? Let me know what you think in the comments.