Take heart (groan) if you are bit fed up with red roses and chocolates today as Valentine’s Day is also still known to many as Bird Wedding Day. It is considered to be the day that see’s the start of a bit of feathered flirting as birds choose their mates. The reason for this assumption is somewhat clouded, but may be related to the fact that the first songbirds which traditionally warble after a blustery winter tend to debut in mid-February. One of the earliest written examples of this belief was penned by Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet and vintner, in his “Parliament of Fowls,” the literal meaning of which is “Meeting of Birds.”
It is still custom to eat baked buns and cakes topped with caraway seeds, plums and raisins to celebrate the feathered foray, though these days I’m sure many more will honour Bird Wedding Day by ‘tweeting’ their love and affection.
According to legend, if the first bird you spot on February 14 is a robin, it suggests your future partner will have something to do with the sea.
But if the first bird you see happens to be a blackbird it means you may marry someone involved in charitable or spiritual work such as an aid worker or a vicar.
A pigeon means a marriage to someone who will eventually return to the place they grew up regardless of how far they travel throughout their life.
If you come across a goldfinch or a yellow bird you could be in the money and the more yellow it is the more money there’s likely to be. But beware if you spot a woodpecker, as the colourful bird is an omen that no marriage will take place.
And some say seeing a crow is not a good omen unless it cries three times, but it can also suggest you walk away from a current relationship. Spot any birds of prey, and you might marry a politician, but don’t be too disheartened as it could also mean a businessman or a leader.
The die hard romantics should be on the lookout for doves as it means the marriage will be happy and loving.
After spending the day out with my True Love, Nature, I will be going to a lecture about Natural Bee Keeping this evening. For me, Valentine’s Day has serendipitously delivered a day of Birds and Bees; how very appropriate. Loving life x
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