CLOZE TEST: THE TRADITION OF VALENTINE'S DAY

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THE TRADITION OF VALENTINE'S DAY

according	both	by	called	foreheads	have	had
held	instead	involved	must	nevertheless	own	safe
so	such	that	twin	unable	watch	were
which	whose	will	would

It is believed to [0] _____originated from the pagan customs of the Third Century or Fourth Century B.C., when the Parentalia and Feralia Festivals of Purification [1] _____ celebrated in Ancient Rome between February 13 and February 18. This was also the time of a Fertility Festival which celebrated a young man's rite of passage and [2] _____ animal sacrifices and fertility rituals. February 13, the opening day of the festivals, was dedicated to peace, love and household goods. February 14, the second day of Parentalia was [3] _____ the Lupercalia. Priests known as luperci [4] _____ meet at the Cave of Lupercal in the Palatine Hill, where a she-wolf was said to have nursed Romulus and Remus, the [5] _____ founders of Rome. Vestal Virgins used to offer holy salt cakes and the priests would sacrifice a dog and a goat, smearing the animal blood onto the [6] _____ of youths of noble birth who later whipped fields of crops and bystanders with a goatskin strip (known as the februa). Women gently lashed in [7] _____ a fashion were thought to become fertile. February 15 was the second day of Lupercal and the third day of Parentalia...a day some sources believe was dedicated to Juno, Roman Goddess of Women and Marriage. During the Luperci, the names of willing young women were placed into a box and drawn [8] _____ every young, unmarried man. The youths and maidens who were thus matched would be considered partners during the course of the coming year, [9] _____ began in March. Although such matches were generally for sexual gratification, it was not unusual that they ended up in marriage.

[10] _____ to other sources, the tradition of Valentine's Day is derived from a time when hordes of hungry wolves lived in the area outside Rome where shepherds (the city's earliest inhabitants) kept their flocks. The God Lupercus (from the Latin lupus meaning "wolf") was believed to [11] _____over them and their animals and keep them [12] _____ from the hungry predators. Every February the Romans celebrated a feast (also known as Lupercalia) to honor Lupercus. Yet another theory is that the festival was actually [13] _____ to honour Faunus who was a God of Herds and Crops. As is apparent, the true origin of this festival is so ancient, that even scholars of the Last Century B.C. were [14] _____ to officially determine its roots with any degree of certainty.

In the Fifth Century A.D., the Church resolved to abolish this pagan celebration by creating its [15] _____ holiday around the same date and selecting a saint who was remembered for his devotion to love. The drawing of saints’ names was substituted for the names of unmarried girls. The names were placed into a box and then young people (16] _____ male and female) drew a name from the container. During the year which followed, the youths and maidens were supposed to emulate the life of the Saint [17] _____ name they had drawn. [18] _____, young Roman males, who had been hoping to meet potential mates during the time of the Festival, were not totally satisfied with now having a lottery of saints' names [19] _____, and instituted their own custom of offering women whom they admired and wished to court handwritten greetings of affection on February 14.

During the medieval era of chivalry, the names of English maidens and bachelors were put into boxes and drawn out in pairs. Each couple exchanged gifts and the girl became the man's sweetheart for a year. He wore her name on his sleeve and [20] _____ to attend and protect her (the accepted origin of the phrase, "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve"). In 1537, King Henry VIII declared, by Royal Charter, that all England would celebrate February 14 as "Saint Valentine's Day" and with the passage of time, February 14 became the traditional date for exchanging love messages and simple gifts (such as flowers or candy), with Saint Valentine becoming the accepted Patron Saint of Lovers.

KEY

WRITE YOUR ANSWERS HERE:			0.   have	1.    were	2.involved
3.called	4.would	5.twin	6.foreheads	7.such	8.by
9.which	10.   according	11.  watch	12. safe	13. held	14.    unable
15.    own	16.    both	17.    whose	18.  nevertheless	19.    instead	20.    had