It's Valentine's Day

I wasn't going to write a Valentine's Day post today, but I read a blog post that triggered some research so I thought I'd share what I found (at least the link).

Basically Christian leaders wanted to change or overshadow the pagan festival.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial — which probably occurred around 270 A.D — others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. Read more here.

We do not make a big deal of Valentine's Day. Never really have. Sometimes there are gifts and candy, but not this year. I got a new van instead and a supper at McDonald's on Thursday. Tonight we are getting together with our church family for desserts.