RVO Staff Writer

Heart-shaped boxes of creamy chocolates, bouquets of roses, and lovey-dovey cards are some of the ways lovers celebrate Valentineâ€s Day here in the U.S. And February 14^th isnâ€t just a happy day for lovers. In a survey published last month by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, companies producing Valentine candy, cards, flowers and novelties are swooning like teenage sweethearts because Valentineâ€s Day generates more than $13 Billion in revenue.

Thatâ€s a whole lotta love!

 Okay, so we all know people in the U.S. throw down some serious dough on Valentineâ€s Day, but how do people in other countries celebrate? What are their customs, traditions?

Hereâ€s a peek.

FRANCE

Itâ€s been said the first Valentineâ€s Day card originated in France in the 1400s when Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent love letters to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

Back in the day, the French followed the tradition “une loterie dâ€amour” (drawing for love) that matched lovers by the sound of their voice. Single men and women would enter houses facing each other and take turns calling out to one another until they were paired off. If the men didnâ€t like their match, they left the woman for another man to call. As part of the tradition, the women that didnâ€t get matched up, got together afterward for a big ceremonial bonfire where they tossed pictures and objects of the men who rejected them, and cursed their names. French officials banned the tradition when the women got too rowdy and out of control. Today, the French take their lovers out for some fine French cuisine and champagne, and itâ€s the most popular day for men to get down on that bended knee and propose.

ITALY

Celebrating Valentineâ€s Day more as a spring festival, centuries ago Italian lovers gathered in gardens and parks for poetry readings and long strolls. Today, Italians prefer romantic dinners and exchanging gifts. Also, the Italians have a tradition of giving chocolate to their lovers and the bigger the chocolates, the stronger the bond.

CANADA

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, Canadians throughout the country organize balls and parties where people express love for their spouses and sweethearts. Roses, chocolates, candies and cards are the most popular gifts. Canadian kids exchange gifts with their friends and just like in the U.S. in many schools, children enjoy classroom parties where they put all the Valentines in a decorated box to be distributed to other kids in class.

BRAZIL

Since Brazilâ€s Carnival usually takes place in February it overlaps with Valentineâ€s Day, and the city adds that extra hint of love to its big party day. The local equivalent to Valentineâ€s Day is “Dia dos enamorados” (Lovers Day) which is June 12. On this day, Brazilians exchange chocolates, flowers, and cards and musical performances are held throughout the country. Brazilians also celebrate “Saint Anthonyâ€s Day,” which commemorates the patron saint of marriage. On this day, single Brazilians looking for a husband or wife perform certain rituals to increase their chances of meeting their soul-mate.

SOUTH AFRICA

Valentineâ€s Day is huge in South Africa. Shopkeepers adorn their shops with fragrant flowers, and love symbols like cupid, love birds, and hearts. The countryâ€s most typical tradition includes taking your valentine out on the town or to one of South Africaâ€s beautiful beaches. Young women celebrate Valentineâ€s Day by following ‘Lupercalia’ where she pins her loverâ€s name on her sleeve. Some men also follow this custom.

TAIWAN

The Taiwanese celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14 and again on July 7; both dates are equally important. Men like to purchase beautiful bouquets of roses for their sweethearts, and according to tradition, the color and number of roses is significant. One red rose signifies ‘my only loveâ€, 11 roses ‘my favoriteâ€, 99 roses ‘forever†and 108 roses means ‘marry me.â€

JAPAN

Japanese men are the ones courted on Valentineâ€s Day with lots of delicious chocolate. This custom of gifting chocolate on February 14 was first introduced in 1936 by a Kobe-based confectioner ‘Morozoff Ltdâ€. The company ran the first ever Valentineâ€s Day ad in Japan in a local English newspaper that attracted foreigners who celebrated Valentineâ€s Day. By the 1950â€s other Japanese chocolate manufacturers joined in, and in the 1970s, Japanese people began giving Valentineâ€s chocolates that expressed the nature of their relationship. A woman would gift ‘giri-choko†which means ‘obligation chocolate†to men she was not interested in romantically like her boss and colleagues. ‘Chō-giri choko†which means “ultra-obligatory” is chocolate given to people the woman may not even like, but feels obligated to give something. ‘Honmei-choko†which means ‘favorite or true feeling chocolate†is gifted to boyfriends, lovers or husbands. And for an extra show of love, a woman will give ‘honmei-choko†or home-made chocolate. A more recent type of chocolate has popped up, the ‘tomo-choko†which means ‘friend†and is gifted to a womanâ€s female friends.

DENMARK

The Danes celebrate Valentineâ€s Day with ‘Gaekkebrev†which are funny little poems or rhyming love notes that men send to women anonymously, giving them only one clue to the senderâ€s identity: the number of letters in the senderâ€s name represented by a dot for each letter. The recipient must then guess who sent her the card. If she guesses correctly she wins an Easter egg on Easter and if sheâ€s stumped, she owes her admirer an Easter egg.

ESTONIA

More a celebration of friendship than romantic love, Valentineâ€s Day in Estonia is called ‘Sõbrapäev†which means ‘Friendâ€s Day†where people exchange cards and gifts and greet each other with “Happy Friends Day”. That doesnâ€t mean romance isnâ€t in the air. February 14 is still the most popular day for marriage proposals.

WALES

On Valentineâ€s Day, it is customary for the Welsh to give love-spoons, an old tradition that began when Welsh men (possibly sailors) carved intricate designs into wooden spoons and presented them to the women they wanted to date or marry. The designs they carved on the spoonâ€s handles were also symbolic: a key would signify a manâ€s heart, a wheel his hard work and beads represented the number of kids he wanted. This tradition is still carried out today.

ENGLAND

In the 1700s, on the night before Valentineâ€s Day single women pinned five bay leaves to each corner of their pillows and one in the center hoping they would conjure dreams of their future husbands. Another variation of this tradition was to sprinkle bay leaves and rose water and lay them across their pillows saying “Good Valentine, be kind to me; in dreams let me my true love see.” Now considered folklore, this tradition is rarely practiced. In parts of England, the character ‘Jack Valentine†also known as Old Father Valentine or even Old Mother Valentine, is a lovable and mysterious character who knocks on childrenâ€s doors on the night before Valentineâ€s Day and leaves treats and presents under their pillows.

SCOTLAND

In Scotland, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a festival where unmarried men and women write their names on paper which is folded and placed into a hat: one hat for women; one for men. The women draw a name and vice versa and the two are then matched. Women then pin the name of their partner over their hearts or on their sleeves. A dance often follows and, at the end of the festival, it is not unusual for marriages to take place. According to another Scottish custom, the first young man or woman encountered by chance on the street – or anywhere – will become that personâ€s valentine.

 Happy Valentineâ€s Day!

The post Valentine’s Day Attracts Lovers All Over the World first appeared on River View Observer.

Howard Pyle, the “Father of American Illustration,” was also famous for painting historic murals like “The Landing at Carteret” which hangs in the Essex County Court House in Newark and other works collected by the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, the Delaware Art Museum and the Brandywine River Museum. But you don’t have to hop a plane to Frisco or a train to Delaware to see Pyle’s paintings up close. Four murals depicting the history of Hudson County hang in the beautifully restored, Beaux Arts landmark Justice William J. Brennan Court House in Jersey City, where people from all walks of life can view Pyle’s majestic and historic paintings.  

Adorning public buildings with historic art by contemporary artists was a popular concept at the Turn-of-the 20^th century and Pyle’s murals were hung at the Brennan (then called the Hudson County Court House,) soon after it opened on September 10, 1910 (this is the building’s centennial year.) Pyle’s murals are cherished commodities and respectfully maintained by the Hudson County Cultural & Heritage Affairs Tourism Development office housed on the first floor of the building where the department’s administrator Bill LaRosa and his talented staff – some of whom are artists, performers and writers themselves – carry on Pyle’s legacy:

Every month, the staff transforms the first floor’s Theodore Conrad Rotunda into the Brennan Gallery, a public art space that gives local artists a venue to show their work and the local community a chance to experience art up close and personal.  To LaRosa, his staff and the man in charge, Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, art is for the people and by the people.

 “The arts community is an important and growing part of our population,” DeGise says from his wood-paneled office on the first floor of the court house. “Ten percent of our capital projects go to public art. The Brennan was built 100 years ago and it’s still very beautiful and useful. There’s a lesson there. Do it right and with an eye toward the future.” 

And while Pyle, a master artist and illustrator of his time chose to look back in Hudson County’s history as the inspiration for the murals he created, LaRosa and the Cultural Affairs crew concentrate their efforts on artists who create contemporary works in all genres of the visual and performing arts.

 “We have some of the greatest murals of the 20^th century on our walls,” LaRosa says from his first floor office steps away from the marble-floored rotunda. “Why shouldn’t contemporary artists have the privilege of being seen here? The court house is an ideal location to showcase art work.”

To respect the dignity of the Brennan which is on the National Register of Historic Places, LaRosa and his crew stage the Brennan Gallery with the clever use of portable walls and strategic lighting.

 “I remember seeing the gallery when it was completed, it was just beautiful,” LaRosa says. “The paintings were up, the lights were on – the rotunda was made for it.”

Because the court house is a government building, the work is seen by a wide-range of people, from the high-ranking government official to the local citizen on their way to jury duty. Seeing everyday people appreciate the art gives LaRosa great pleasure, he says.

  “I’ll see jurors, sheriff’s officers and county employees looking at the art work and that makes me feel good because that’s what it’s designed to do,” LaRosa says. “Art is for everyone.  A public building shouldn’t be cut and dry. If it can serve a higher purpose, then why not?”

Looking back to the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Hudson County was home to many art galleries exhibiting local artists’ work, but times changed when storefront galleries became real estate gold. These days, local art galleries are practically nonexistent and many artists look for alternative venues to show their work like restaurants, office buildings, even city halls.

“There are very few galleries in Hudson County because of property values and lack of accessible public spaces,” LaRosa says. “The Brennan Gallery is one of the few.”

This week, the Cultural Affairs team is preparing for a special exhibit for Women’s History Month called “Herstory” curated by Assistant Administrator Eileen Gaughan and Program Development Specialist Meredith Lippman. The show opens March 2^nd and runs through March 26^th and features black-and-white photographs taken by local women photographers who were asked to go out into the community and photograph other women at work.  

“We thought what better way to celebrate Women’s History Month than with an exhibit of women photographing women working in unconventional roles in fields like architecture and mathematics,” Gaughan says. “Who knows a woman better than another woman and who can celebrate women better than her peers?”

 For the past two years, the Women’s History Month exhibition has given women artists like So Yoon Lym, a photographer and painter, the opportunity to have their work shown. Prior to having her work chosen for the 2009 show, Lym’s work was picked for the February “African Americana” exhibit.

  “For the African-Americana show, the artists had to be of African-American ancestry,” Lym says. “What a revolutionary and contemporary concept – that all Americans are in some way connected to this month and could be through their art work. I have always looked to New York City as the center of the art world and though this is true, it’s great to know that there are venues in Jersey City that showcase and promote contemporary artists.” 

Along with professional artists and photographers who exhibit at the Brennan, LaRosa and his staff present shows by senior citizens, teenagers, even patients from a local hospital. Lippman recalls a group show by students at St. Dominic’s Academy, a Catholic High School in Jersey City, who expressed their artistry in a series of painted wooden chairs.

“It was a knockout of an exhibit,” Lippman says.

As Program Development Specialist, Lippman also runs a workshop series to help artists manage their careers. An artist herself, she understands the problems they face trying to handle their careers while creating their art. So, she assembles panels of professionals who discuss important issues like writing artist statements, knowing what museum curators look for when producing shows, copyrights and other matters.

 “I email the artist community and ask them, ‘What do you need?  Give me an idea of what we can do to help you,'” Lippman says.

Along with the Brennan Gallery, LaRosa and his staff host the Brennan Coffee House, a once-a-month, Friday night hootenanny where the rotunda gets transformed again, this time as an intimate bistro with café tables and chairs. Local folksingers and musicians – some with a national following – perform on a portable stage and the acoustics are just right for folk music.  A pet project of County Executive DeGise who’s a real fan of folk legends like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, the coffee house has become a popular night of entertainment for local music lovers and within the historic setting of the court house, songs of protest and peace seem to resound with a deeper meaning.

In September, DeGise will host a special celebration honoring the Brennan’s centennial year. It’s been a hundred years since Pyle’s murals were hung in the court house, but the concept of giving art justice still holds true today through the work of DeGise, LaRosa and the Cultural Affairs staff.  Providing a public forum for art exhibitions not only nurtures an ever-growing artist population, it nourishes a community’s quality-of-life.

As County Executive DeGise says, “There’s a lesson there.”

 Sally Deering is a freelance writer on art and culture.

For more information, email SallyDeer@gmail.com

 

 

The post The Art of Justice: Howard Pyle’s Legacy Prevails at the Brennan Court House first appeared on River View Observer.

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Tradition…a concept that is certainly not unique to the Italian and Italian American culture, but which is almost universally mentioned when telling the story of those who are of Italian heritage.  Nevertheless, one is tempted to wonder if the paesani who immigrated to the United States from Morrone del Sannio, Campobasso (Region of Molise), Italy, in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and who settled in the ethnic enclave that would become a vibrant “Little Italy” in downtown Jersey City, could have foreseen that their grandchildren and great grandchildren would, more than a century later, still be carrying on one of their grandest traditions.  Probably not!  Yet, that is exactly what is happening, as the third and fourth generation members of the Maria S.S. Dell’Assunta Society, founded by their Morronese ancestors in 1902, are now preparing for the 98th annual Feast of the Assumption, at Holy Rosary Church in historic downtown Jersey City. 

La Festa Italiana, which now encompasses the feast of St. Rocco, in addition to the Assumption feast of old, includes both elements of the traditional Italian feast, combining spirituality with the typical Italian street festival.  The religious celebration begins with a Novena in honor of Our Lady of the Assumption (Thursday, August 6th, to Friday, August 14th, at 7:00 p.m., with a candlelight procession through the streets of downtown Jersey City on la vigilia di festa August 14th) and culminates in the Assumption Feast Day Mass, to be celebrated by Most Rev. Thomas A. Donato, Aux. Bishop of Newark and Regional Bishop for Hudson County (11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 15th), and the St. Rocco Feast Day Mass, to be celebrated by Most Rev. Dominic A. Marconi, Ret. Aux. Bishop of Newark (11:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 16th). 

The old-world style street festival will include deliziosi Italian food, full service bar, outdoor cafe, rides, games, and live entertainment.  A highlight for many is the wine and peaches stand, proudly called “A Taste of Campobasso”, which is still operated by the Society and staffed by the descendants of its original founders, including the popular “Wine Girls”, who will be happy to serve you some of the best wine and peaches around! 

YOU’RE INVITED TO JOIN US!  On August 15th at 9:00 p.m., in front of the Campobasso wine stand, a special “toast” will be offered to honor all feast workers and Society members (including the memory of those who are no longer with us) who have worked hard to preserve Italian culture and the beautiful traditions that our ancestors carried with them from the old country.  Don’t forget to wear your feast shirts, as we gather together for this unique display of unity, love, and respect!  The festival will take place on 6th Street, between Brunswick and Monmouth Streets, in the Downtown section of Jersey City, and will run from Wednesday, August 12th, through Sunday, August 16th, 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m..  For more details, call 201-795-0120 Ext. 103, or Carmine Colasurdo at 201-966-7745.  Buona Festa a Tutti

The post La Festa Italiana – The Tradition Lives On at Holy Rosary Church in Downtown Jersey City first appeared on River View Observer.