How to Explain Valentine's Day to Your Child

Learning something about the history and traditions of Valentine's Day can enrich the experience for your children, so consider sharing some of the following facts and concepts with them to make the holiday even more fun and interesting.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Art History Books
• Books Of Poems
• Books On The Lives Of Saints
• copies of "The Story of Valentine's Day"

1. Talk about love. Explain that there are many different kinds of love to honor on Valentine's Day, including family love, romantic love, love for friends, spiritual love, love for pets, love for the environment and so on.

2. Explain the ancient origins of the holiday. Before the time of Saint Valentine, there was a Roman festival called Lupercalia at around the same time of year. This spring festival contained many of the elements of romance now associated with Valentine's Day.

3. Discuss the story of Saint Valentine. Valentine was a priest in Rome during the early days of Christianity. He defied the cruel emperor's orders by performing weddings for Roman soldiers, and was imprisoned and eventually executed on February 14.

4. Tell your children about Cupid. In ancient mythology, Cupid - also known as Eros - was the mischievous son of Venus/Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Cupid carried a quiver of arrows that had the power to make people fall in love. Sometimes Cupid is depicted as being blind, because it's impossible to predict where love will blossom.

5. Talk about why hearts are associated with Valentine's Day. If you like, read your children a couple of love poems to help explain why people connect the emotion of love with that part of the body.

6. Explain the connection between flowers and romance. Centuries ago, a "language of flowers" was developed in Persia and Turkey, then spread to Europe. Each flower had a different meaning, and flowers were sometimes used as a code for lovers to exchange messages. A red rose has come to mean "love" and "beauty," although its meaning used to be "bashful shame."

Tips & Warnings

• Look into some art or art history books, as well as online, for pictures of Cupid and similar cherubs. You'll probably find some excellent images among the works of Renaissance "old masters" such as Botticelli.
• Answer any questions your children may have about love in as much depth as you need to, considering their ages and interest levels. You probably won't need to go into detail with smaller children, but older children may have lots of curiosity, so be prepared.
• The story of Saint Valentine may be too gruesome for younger children, so you may choose to leave out the part about his beheading, and just explain that he was somebody who helped people to get married.