Valentine's Day
Celebrate Valentine's Day with special jigs, reels, and strathspeys!
A traditional Sottish love token is the presentation to the recipient of your affection with a Luckenbooth brooch, often given as a betrothal or wedding brooch.
These silver brooches consisted of entwined hearts, or hearts with a crown on top. The name is derived from the Luckenbooths or Locking Booths – small shops that were a regular feature on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile.
Luckenbooths also might be worn by nursing mothers or be pinned to a baby's clothing to protect it from harm. Variations of these brooches were also sometimes known as a witches' brooches or witches' hearts to protect against the "evil eye."
Selected Dances
(click for more Valentine's Day folklore and background information)
The Flirt
Valentine's Day
Whether dancing or not today, Happy Valentine's Day to all Scottish Country Dancers! Should you be heading to a Valentine's Ball, this might be a good time to brush up on your vintage flirtation skills while keeping cool with the versatile folding fan! During the 17th century and later fans were used by both women and men to subtly communicate. "The Original Fanology or Ladies' Conversation Fan Book" was published in 1797 and contained details about how to hold silent but richly meaningful conversations simply through unique movements of a fan! Some common communiques included: Drawing it across the cheek or placing the fan on the heart (I love you); Letting it rest on the right cheek (yes); Letting it rest on the left cheek (no); Dropping the fan (We will be friends); Drawing the fan across the eyes (I am sorry); Twirling it in right hand (I love another); and Carrying it in right hand in front of face (Follow me)! This flirty jig (also known as "C'est l'amour") presents several fan-less opportunities for flirtatious glances during the dance! And afterwards, cool down with a fan between those sets and examine a full range of encoded fan movements that might be just the right Valentine's Day message by clicking the link below! Happy Valentine's Day! 💜 💌 ❤️ 💘 ❤️