Before the New Year celebrations are over, it seems stores begin to decorate with pink and red hearts and barely dressed winged babies. The card aisles are transformed into Love Lane and a birthday greeting is hard to find amongst all the romantic declarations. Where did all of this begin? How did people get all wrapped up in arrows and heart shaped doilies?
Ancient Romans celebrated a feast day on February 15th of each year. It was called Lupercalia and was a festival honoring Juno, the goddess of marriage and women. Young people would draw names, spend time together, and exchange gifts. Many times this event led to courtship and marriage. Somehow, Cupid, the god of love, got involved. It was believed that he shot little arrows that caused people to fall head over heels in love.
Persecution of Christians was pretty rampant at this time in history, and while the Romans were celebrating false love and romance, men and women were dying for their true love of God. Although historians do not always agree, there is a tradition that says that there were two men who shared the name of Valentine. Both were executed for their faith in or near Rome on February 14, A.D. 269. In A.D. 495, Pope Gelasius decided to honor these men and other martyrs by declaring February 14th St. Valentine’s Day. This was an attempt to replace the Roman pagan festival and instead draw attention to those who had been martyred for the cause of Christ. Although the gesture was honorable and good, it obviously did not really stick. When was the last time you walked into a gift shop in February and saw cards that honored the persecuted church?
Thankfully, we do not have to fall into the ‘new’ tradition! As home educators, we have the perfect opportunity to teach the truth in this and many other areas of history regardless of what the world tries to feed us. Consider the following activities and websites to help you shed light on the true reason for the creation of St. Valentine’s Day. Remember that there are millions of Christians today that are still being persecuted and martyred for their unwavering faith in Christ.
Source: Mystery of History, Volume 2; Linda Hobar, Bright Ideas Press
Websites:
The Voice of the Martyrs – VOM maintains a wonderful website and printed resource that keeps you up to date on the persecuted church around the world. Current news, prayer needs, and ways to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ abound.
Kids of Courage – KOC is the children’s arm of The Voice of the Martyrs. Their website includes a spotlighted country, missionaries and people groups, languages, videos, printables, and much more. It is a free geography unit study waiting to happen!
Activities:
Choose a persecuted Christian or people group to pray for each day. Highlight the country in which they live and learn about the government and main religion.
Study Stephen in the book of Acts. After reading, be sure to make note of who held the garments of those stoning him. Talk with your children about the impact Stephan’s unwavering faith had on Saul, later known as Paul.
Write letters to a Christian prisoner. PrisonerAlert.com highlights persecuted, imprisoned believers around the world. Fact sheets and information on sending encouraging letters are also available on the site.
Ancient Romans celebrated a feast day on February 15th of each year. It was called Lupercalia and was a festival honoring Juno, the goddess of marriage and women. Young people would draw names, spend time together, and exchange gifts. Many times this event led to courtship and marriage. Somehow, Cupid, the god of love, got involved. It was believed that he shot little arrows that caused people to fall head over heels in love.
Persecution of Christians was pretty rampant at this time in history, and while the Romans were celebrating false love and romance, men and women were dying for their true love of God. Although historians do not always agree, there is a tradition that says that there were two men who shared the name of Valentine. Both were executed for their faith in or near Rome on February 14, A.D. 269. In A.D. 495, Pope Gelasius decided to honor these men and other martyrs by declaring February 14th St. Valentine’s Day. This was an attempt to replace the Roman pagan festival and instead draw attention to those who had been martyred for the cause of Christ. Although the gesture was honorable and good, it obviously did not really stick. When was the last time you walked into a gift shop in February and saw cards that honored the persecuted church?
Thankfully, we do not have to fall into the ‘new’ tradition! As home educators, we have the perfect opportunity to teach the truth in this and many other areas of history regardless of what the world tries to feed us. Consider the following activities and websites to help you shed light on the true reason for the creation of St. Valentine’s Day. Remember that there are millions of Christians today that are still being persecuted and martyred for their unwavering faith in Christ.
Source: Mystery of History, Volume 2; Linda Hobar, Bright Ideas Press
Websites:
The Voice of the Martyrs – VOM maintains a wonderful website and printed resource that keeps you up to date on the persecuted church around the world. Current news, prayer needs, and ways to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ abound.
Kids of Courage – KOC is the children’s arm of The Voice of the Martyrs. Their website includes a spotlighted country, missionaries and people groups, languages, videos, printables, and much more. It is a free geography unit study waiting to happen!
Activities:
Choose a persecuted Christian or people group to pray for each day. Highlight the country in which they live and learn about the government and main religion.
Study Stephen in the book of Acts. After reading, be sure to make note of who held the garments of those stoning him. Talk with your children about the impact Stephan’s unwavering faith had on Saul, later known as Paul.
Write letters to a Christian prisoner. PrisonerAlert.com highlights persecuted, imprisoned believers around the world. Fact sheets and information on sending encouraging letters are also available on the site.
Many homeschool families in other countries face educational persecution. Find out more on the HSLDA international page. Pray for a different international group of homeschoolers each morning as you begin your own learning time.
2 comments:
Thank you for the information you've provided. Very enlightening and eye opening.
Thank you so much for this!
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