Here in Norfolk we have a rather unusual & interesting tradition for that particular day (Valentine’s) that everyone either loves or hates! Read on for the story of Jack Valentine…
Jack Valentine was a rather mysterious character who would leave gifts and trinkets on people’s doorsteps for Valentine’s Day, knocking on a door and running away before they’d answer, people would find a gift awaiting them without knowing who the kind benefactor was! He’s known as a mischievous but kind-hearted character, & one which we don’t know much about. What we do know is that he certainly encouraged locals to give their own anonymous Valentine’s gifts, too, so this is a great way of spreading the love!
Sometimes receivers would be pranked, because their gift would be attached to some string so whenever they got close enough to grab it, the gift would suddenly be pulled away – naughty, but fun!
It’s not only adults that were recipients of the Jack Valentine tradition – children would often receive a token gift, as well. Often the givers would knock on the door and quickly run away without being seen (this is a far kinder version of the irritating games of ‘knock & run’ that we’ve probably all experienced, one way or another!)
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