Solutions Intermediate Workbook Key

of spring and was considered a time for
purification. Houses were ritually cleaned
by sweeping them out, before salt and
wheat were sprinkled around.
Lupercalia, which began on February
15th, was a fertility festival dedicated
to Faunus, the Roman god of
agriculture, as well as to the founders
of Rome, Romulus and Remus. On this
day all the young women in the city
placed their names in a big urn. Each
of the city's bachelors would choose a
name and become paired for the year
with his chosen woman. After a year
sometimes these matches would end in
marriage. Eventually, the pope declared
14th February St. Valentine's Day and
outlawed the Roman 'lottery' system.
During the Middle Ages, many people
believed that 14th February was the day
that birds began mating, confirming the
idea that St Valentine's Day should be a
day for love and romance.