Simple family observances for almost every holiday... from a Humanist perspective.

"By recognizing the validity of the many, you make the one less and less sacred -- the very sort of thing that could end us up with a more reasonable world."

- Dale McGowan, Parenting Beyond Belief

Friday, February 19, 2010

Valentine's Day - February 14

Brief Background:
This is one of those holidays that I would just assume let go of, but the kids enjoy it and their school makes a big deal out of it, so I've decided that I will play along, but I insist that they know the origin of the holiday. The roots of this romantic holiday can be traced back to two ancient celebrations: Lupercalia, a pagan festival for the fertility and protection of flocks and their owners, and the Christian observance of the martyrdom of Valentine, a third-century priest who secretly performed marriages in defiance of the Roman emperor.

Activities:
Each year I fill a small bag for each of my sons and fill it with underwear and candy. We always try to have a heart-shaped meal by candle-light and I read a book about the holiday during the meal. We also make Valentine's for classmates and cousins. This year I was in charge of putting on my kindergartner's class Valentine's party so my husband and I dressed up like the characters from a fun children's book and found another parent to help us act out the story for his class. They loved it!

References:
  • Hearts, Cupids, and Red Roses, The Story of the Valentine Symbols by Edna Barth
  • Falling for Rapunzel by Leah Wilcox

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