Across
- 4. A phrase legend claims Saint Valentine wrote to the jailer's daughter while imprisoned.
- 6. The death of Saint Valentine, executed on February 14th, whose sacrifice the church chose to honor.
- 7. A Lupercalia tradition where men drew women's names to be paired with them for the duration of the festival.
- 8. The Roman Emperor who, according to legend, banned marriage to increase troop recruitment, leading Saint Valentine to perform secret marriages.
- 9. An ancient Roman pastoral festival (Feb 13–15) involving purification, fertility, and pairing rituals, often considered the precursor to Valentine's Day
Down
- 1. In the 5th century, he established February 14th as a feast day, partly to Christianize the pagan festival of Lupercalia.
- 2. A Roman priest or bishop martyred around A.D. 270, believed to have inspired the holiday's name.
- 3. The Roman god of desire and love, often depicted on modern cards, derived from the Greek god Eros.
- 4. Specific practices during Lupercalia, such as whipping women with goat hides, meant to ensure fertility.
- 5. English poet who first connected Valentine’s Day with romantic love in his 1375 poem, "Parliament of Fowls".
- 8. A medieval European literary tradition of romantic devotion, which began associating the day with love in the 14th century.
- 10. The belief in the Middle Ages that birds began to mate on February 14th, strengthening the connection to romance.
