Religious Education Update: February 11, 2007

Happy Valentine’s Day

This is the week for white glue, pink construction paper, shiny red glitter, and tiny candy hearts in homes and schools all over our town. It is also the middle of winter, which means that heavy rain is expected and normal. Sometimes, the juxtaposition of these two annual events is an issue, as happened on Valentine’s Day in 1984, when my first grade son had created hand made cards for each of his classmates and all Petaluma schools were closed due to flooded roads. I remember the many tears that morning when the radio announcer broke the sad news.

There is a historical connection between winter and Valentine’s Day. Many centuries ago, ancient Romans looked forward to spring and new life with a Fertility Festival called Lupercalia, which was celebrated on the Ides of February, February 15. According to legend, the names of eligible young women would be placed in a large urn. The young men would then take turns drawing names, and would be paired with the young women whose names were drawn. Many marriages grew out of these pairings by lottery. The young people would try then to increase their chances of fertility through rites of animal sacrifice.

In the year 498, Pope Gelasius declared the lottery to be "unchristian" and outlawed the practice. He declared February 14 to be St. Valentine’s Day. The Catholic Church recognizes three different St. Valentines, all martyrs, and has made various connections between the St. Valentines and the celebration.

Later, in the Middle Ages, the French and English believed that February 14 was the beginning of the birds’ mating season, which added to the romantic aspect of the St. Valentine’s Day celebration.

Despite the best efforts of the Catholic Church’s hierarchy, the pagan roots of today’s celebration persist. The little cherub, Cupid, is the son of the Roman goddess of Love, Venus, and is pictured often in Valentine’s Day greetings.

There will be a special Valentine’s Day surprise from RE today! Happy Valentine’s Day to all our friends in UUP!

Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education