_A Valentine Hunt._
This should be given early in the evening, as it removes shyness and
establishes good fellowship.
Hide as many small valentines as there are children, and give five
minutes to hunt for them. Those finding more than one should put the
extra ones on a table, and the children not finding any are then
blindfolded and allowed to draw one each.
_Rose Guess._
Present a large rose and let each child guess how many petals it
contains. When all have guessed, pick the petals off, counting them as
they fall. The nearest guesser receives a prize. An appropriate prize
would be a bonbon box filled with candied rose leaves.
_Rose Bowl Game._
Put on a small table, a mat of pink crinkled tissue paper, and in the
centre stand a cut-glass rose-bowl. The bowl should be covered with
huge pink rose petals, made of paper, inverted as though the rose were
held in the bowl, the petals all meeting in the green calyx, which
covers the opening of the bowl. Through the calyx, narrow green ribbons
representing rose stems should appear. Each child, at a signal, should
come to the table and draw one of the “stems.” On the end of each
will be found a pink candy heart, and to one of these hearts will be
fastened a tiny love-knot ring.
_The Walnut’s Fortune._
Open a quantity of walnuts in half. Into each walnut slip a narrow
piece of paper which will predict the future. Slip a small elastic over
each nut, which will prevent them from reopening. The boys’ walnuts
should be put in one basket, and the girls’ in another. The girls’
basket should be offered first. As each girl holds her hand over the
basket she should repeat:
“Steady, good fairy, I am wary,
Pray let my hand make no mistake;
I would only the right nut take.”
Then she puts her hand down, lifts up a nut, removes the elastic, and
taking out the paper, reads her future aloud. Example, “You will travel
around the world. At the age of twenty-three you will sing before two
thousand people.” And thus the future is predicted in similar style for
other players.
_Naming the Roses._
All the young people should personate favorite roses. Therefore, there
should be many varieties. The parlors should have arches or wide
doorways, through which a procession may readily move.
The musicians are advised to play something between a march and a reel,
and immediately each boy signals out the girl that matches his rose.
If more than one match, he asks the girl he prefers. Then, all keeping
time to the music, they walk through the first arch or doorway, and
so on to the second, thus in rotation going through all. The couples
should keep about two feet back of each other.
When all have passed through the last arch, they join hands, thus
forming a circle, and commencing with the first couple, enter the ring
two by two. Two only being in at a time, when they come out, the two
that followed them in the march enter, and so on. When in the circle
the boy should ask the girl, “Which rose are you?” She answers, “Tell
me, and I’ll tell you.” Very often his answer will be, “I don’t know,”
though once in a while he will make a perfect guess. When his answer is
right, he asks the girl the language of her rose; but if he has made a
mistake, he is obliged to leave the girl in the ring, and stand under
one of the arches. If the girl cannot answer his question, she must
stand under an arch. If the boy leaves the ring before inquiring the
rose’s language, those forming the ring put the same question, and if
the girl does not properly reply, she has to pay the same penalty as
when not replying to the boy.
When both questions are answered correctly, the boy and girl again join
the hands of the others forming the circle. When each couple has been
in and left the ring the game is concluded.
Among the rosebuds and their meaning are: White rose-bud, girlhood; red
rose-bud, loveliness; white and red together, unity.
_Memory._
Put a small table behind a screen. On this table place thirty different
articles, including pulverized spices, small bottles of liquid, books,
etc. Each player is allowed ten seconds in which to familiarize himself
or herself with the things on the table. Then each person writes a list
of the things, titles of books, etc., from memory. The boy and girl
whose lists are nearest perfection receive valentines as prizes.
_Love Box._
Present a pink silk bag to each of the young ladies, and ask them to
take out what they first touch. Each will then draw a small pink box,
inside of which will be her fortune written on ordinary sized note
paper.
When the young ladies have finished drawing, pass a red silk bag,
filled with red boxes of a similar size, to the young men. Each paper
in the pink boxes should be numbered one, two, etc. and the same with
the red. The following are the examples of the fortunes.
Whereso’er I am, below or else above you,
Whereso’er you are, my heart shall truly love you.
My name is John.
You will married be
At the age of thirty-eight,
Or else I’ve made a mistake,
And the date is far too late.
Now you must guess my name
Or this fortune’s very tame.
Or ask questions, to be followed with appropriate answers.
“Shall I marry Sue?”
“There’s a rival in the case. A very rich and stupid fellow.”
_The Prophetic Rose._
In an archway hang a huge rose made of tissue-paper of a deep red
color, the petals being dark at the centre. The players are told that
the darker petals belong to the boys, and the girls should visit
the rose first. Each girl in turn should step toward the rose, and
break off a petal. On the reverse side she may read her fortune; for
delicately pasted to the rose petal will be a white one, and on this
the girls fortune will be written. Everybody reads their fortune aloud,
for all are as interested to learn the future of their friends as their
own. When the girls finish, the boys follow in a similar way. Some of
the fortunes might be:
“Thou drawest a perfect lot.”
“You will be wondrous happy.”
“Mistress of the Manse.”
“A curate—never slack in duty.”
_Make a Valentine._
This will create much merriment and prove equally suitable for
grown-ups or boys and girls.
Before the guests arrive, have ready even-sized pieces of water-color
paper. The hostess should distribute these and explain just what
should be done. Have water-color paints, brushes, etc., conveniently
near every one, also a few well-sharpened lead-pencils might not prove
amiss. Either have the people seated at one long table or at several
small ones, as would be convenient. Ring a bell when it is time to
commence. In thirty minutes ring again, when all must stop.
As the designs should be original, no one must look over his neighbor’s
shoulder. The fact that some would not know how to paint would have
nothing to do with it, as the entertainment is only a bit of fun and
every one should do his part. Valentines allow of such diversity in
decoration, from the extreme of the grotesque to the æsthetic and
beautiful, that every one should be glad to try. Remember, a line of
prose or verse would be an added compliment. For instance,
Prithee tell me, Dimple chin,
At what age does love begin?
might be written under the dainty portrait of some winsome wee thing;
or,
My love is like a red, red rose,
might be added to the picture of a flaming red cabbage rose.
When the valentines are finished they should be numbered, each painter
retaining his number on a slip of paper. This done, gather the
valentines and submit them to the judgment of three people to decide
as to their merit. The painter of the best valentine should receive a
prize.
Then jumble together slips of paper on which are written numbers
corresponding to the numbers of the valentines. Let each guest draw a
slip, and present him or her with the corresponding valentine, which
may be retained as a souvenir.
_The Court of the King of Hearts._
Decide who will be king. He may get his costume from a costumer’s or
wear a home-made robe of gold color, decorated all over with hearts
cut out of crimson velvet, six inches long and in correct proportion.
He should wear a gold crown ornamented with Rhine stones, and carry a
sceptre. There should be a throne, which may be a large chair placed on
a raised platform. The throne and platform should be covered with gold
paper, sprinkled with diamond dust.
All the decorations should suggest St. Valentine’s evening. Therefore,
pink or rose should be the color effect, and such devices as Cupid’s
arrows, hearts, valentines should appear. Ask the young ladies to gown
themselves to represent roses. Therefore some would wear pink; others,
white, etc. The gowns might further suggest the scheme by being trimmed
with roses. The young gentlemen should wear rose boutonnières.
All the guests compose the court.
The entertainment may be opened by the minuet, danced by red and white
roses, after which the entire court enter, marching two by two. As they
march they sing in honor of their king. When the first couple reaches
the throne, the leaders separate right and left and turn facing each
other. The others do likewise, keeping the distance between regular.
Last of all comes the king followed by two pages representing Cupids.
The king marches between the columns, and finally reaches his throne.
When there he looks smilingly over his court, and then seats himself.
The pages stand to his right and left.
Then the court, at a motion of the king’s sceptre, waltz, after which
the entire evening is spent amusing the king. He likes songs, and they
become Singing Roses. He likes recitations, and the roses recite. All
the songs and recitations must be of the heart. Among the recitations
may be “The Garden of Love,” William Shakspeare; “The Day-Dream,”
Alfred Tennyson; “Telepathy,” James Russell Lowell.
At the close of a song the king rises, and waving his wand, the company
cease entertaining, and the Cupids, leaving the throne, walk side by
side, and finally stop at a huge blackboard. Then in colored crayons
they each draw a valentine. After which the King of Hearts asks each
one of the company to do likewise. This affords much amusement, as many
of the valentines will be exceedingly grotesque.
When all have finished drawing, the Cupids return to the throne, and
the king signals for a dance. And now a surprise. Eight dancers appear
in heart and valentine dominoes. Each heart dances with a valentine,
and thus the king continues to be amused. The first eight who have
drawn valentines quietly absent themselves, and thus they are ready at
the desired time. The dominoes are made out of white cheese-cloth, the
valentines and hearts are basted thickly over them.
After the dance the king should rise and thank the court for what has
been done for his entertainment, after which the recession of the court
should follow. The columns leading to the throne must be again formed,
the king rises, and proceeds through the lines followed by his pages,
and then the two nearest to the throne go next, and so on until all
disappear.