A Journey Through History: The Magic Tree House Takes Readers on a New Adventure

The Magic Tree House series, written by Mary Pope Osborne, has been captivating young readers for over two decades. Known for its blend of adventure, history, and fantasy, this beloved series follows siblings Jack and Annie as they travel through time and space in their magic tree house. The latest release in the Magic Tree House books, titled "The Blizzard of the Blue Moon", takes readers on a thrilling journey to New York City during the Great Depression. Jack and Annie find themselves in the midst of a powerful blizzard, where they must solve a riddle to help restore the missing moonstone and save the magical land of Camelot. With each new installment, Osborne continues to spark the imaginations of young readers, introducing them to different historical periods, cultures, and scientific concepts. The Magic Tree House books not only entertain, but also educate, fostering a love for reading and learning.

Space restrictions forbid going into the details of all the strange rituals that were performed at the Lupercalia, but a few are worth mentioning. One ritual had two young priests running almost naked (this is in mid-February, remember!) around the old city walls, slapping any bystanders they met with thongs cut from animals that had been sacrificed earlier. A smack from one of these thongs was supposed to cure sterility.

That may or many not be true, but it s believed that Claudius had two men named Valentine beheaded in the third century, both of them on February 14th. First, because Gelasius flat-out describes many of the less seemly rites, and it also allows historians to analyze how Lupercalia changed with time and changed with the perception of the author.

The Magic Tree House books not only entertain, but also educate, fostering a love for reading and learning. "The Blizzard of the Blue Moon" is a testament to Osborne's ability to create engaging stories that both entertain and educate. Through her vivid descriptions and immersive storytelling, she transports readers to different worlds and time periods, allowing them to learn about history while following Jack and Annie on their thrilling adventures.

Feast of lupercalia in pagan culture

So Valentine's Day is nothing more than a continuation of Lupercalia.

There is nothing mysterious or secret about this pagan observance, as most of these reference works also have information about Lupercalia. The Encyclopedia Americana, 1996, from the article "Lupercalia," says:

. . . an ancient Roman rite held each February 15 for the fertility god Lupercus. Goats and a dog were sacrificed, and goats' blood was smeared on the foreheads of two young men and wiped off with wool dipped in milk. Young men, wearing only goatskin about their loins, ran around the base of the Palatine hill, striking with goatskin strips any women they met. This was to ease labor for pregnant women and to make the others fertile.

The American Heritage Dictionary, under "Lupercalia," reads, "a fertility festival in ancient Rome, celebrated February 15 in honor of the pastoral god Lupercus." Even the month of February gets its name from this pagan ceremony. The Latin februaue means "to purify" after this so-called "Feast of Purification." Some sources say that the thongs from the skins of sacrificed animals—which the priests used on the evening of February 14 to whip women—were called februa .

Why did the Romans observe the Lupercalia on the 15th in the first place? Nimrod was supposedly born at the winter solstice. In the 21st century BC , the solstice occurred on January 6. As time progressed, however, this date moved earlier every four hundred years or so. In Roman times, Julius Caesar ordered it fixed on December 25. (Today, it falls on December 21.)

In antiquity, the mother of a male child customarily presented herself before her god for purification on the 40th day after giving birth. Remember, the Lupercalia was a "Feast of Purification." Forty days from January 6 is February 15!

As far back as documented history goes, we can trace the celebration back to two ancient Roman fertility festivals: a lesser-known one on February 13 called the "Faunalia," in honor of the god Faunus, and the better-known one on February 15 called the "Lupercalia," honoring the god Lupercus. The Romans considered Faunus and Lupercus to be closely related, and some historians even think they are one and the same god, named differently by ancient Italians living in different regions.

The main center of the ancient Lupercalia celebrations was the cave of the Lupercal, on the Palatine Hill in Rome, where Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome, were supposedly nursed and brought up by a she-wolf. The Greek word for "wolf" is "lukos," and the Latin name for the gray wolf is canis lupus hence the terms "Lupercal," "Lupercus" and "Lupercalia." Some traditions even say that Romulus and Remus actually instituted the feast of Lupercalia.

Space restrictions forbid going into the details of all the strange rituals that were performed at the Lupercalia, but a few are worth mentioning. One ritual had two young priests running almost naked (this is in mid-February, remember!) around the old city walls, slapping any bystanders they met with thongs cut from animals that had been sacrificed earlier. A smack from one of these thongs was supposed to cure sterility.

Another rite was a purification ceremony held during the Lupercalia at which Roman women were purified by the priests of Pan Lyceus. Please refrain from asking for the details of how this happened! Suffice it to say it should not be repeated in mixed company!

The feast of Lupercalia was very important to the Romans, and the feast of Faunalia to other Italians. It is regarded as the oldest of the Roman festivals and, along with the Saturnalia, was among the most important. The significance of this festival is borne out by the fact that the primary function of two of the most prominent families of the ancient Roman nobility, the Fabius and Quinctilius families, was to organize the annual Lupercalia festivities.

A modern parallel of this would be if a nation's President or Prime Minister were to dedicate two of his top cabinet officials and their entire staffs to the organization of the annual Saint Valentine's Day celebrations! Sound ridiculous? Nevertheless, that is how important the ancient Romans thought the Lupercalia was.

Lupercalia was firmly entrenched in Roman life, surviving even the arrival of Christianity in Rome. The Encyclopaedia Britannica states, "The annual celebration of the Lupercalia went on until AD 494, when it was changed by Pope Gelasius I into . . . the feast of the Purification."

Remember that a major ritual during the Lupercalia was the purification of the Roman women by the priests of Pan Lyceus. Now a pope substitutes his interpretation of God's post-pregnancy purification ceremony as a direct replacement for a heathen one!

The Roman Church originally held the feast of the Purification on February 14, forty days after the Epiphany (January 6), and the Armenian church still keeps it on that date. Later, it was changed to February 2, forty days after Christmas (December 25), and the empty day on the calendar was filled, apparently arbitrarily, with the dedication of February 14 to the two Saint Valentines (or should that be "Saints Valentine"?).

As an aside, in the Roman church virtually every day is a feast day in memory of one "saint" or another. Emperor Justinian established February 2 as the feast of the Purification in AD 542, and today some call it "Candlemas." It may be significant—and it seems too much of a coincidence not to be—that February 2 is also a very prominent day for those who practice witchcraft around the world.

In I Corinthians 10:19-21, the apostle Paul compares mixing paganism with Christianity—syncretism—to worshipping demons. This principle includes giving one's time or interest to things of pagan origin.

As an example, the Bible neither mentions nor espouses Valentine's Day or its practices. However, God informs ancient Israel in Deuteronomy 12:29-31 that He had chosen them to represent true religion, and He warns them not to mix pagan customs with worshipping Him as the one true God:

When the L ORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.” You shall not worship the L ORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the L ORD which He hates they have done to their gods.

Beyond their obvious heathen origins, holidays like Saint Valentine's Day continually secularize, transforming into reflections of the world's present culture and falsifying the religions from which they sprang. Most people in this world, becoming increasingly materialistic, could not care less if Valentine's Day originated in the Roman Lupercalia or early Roman church doctrines. Religion—true, syncretized, or pagan—has little influence on them. All they care about is whether they enjoy the celebration. This apathy about how to worship the true God and its corresponding moral decay is the result of watering down truth, minimizing its authority, and appealing to people's base desires, that is, their human nature (Romans 8:7; I John 2:16).

Even some Christians who reject religious holidays with roots in paganism, like Christmas and Easter, see nothing wrong with holidays like New Year's Day, Valentine's Day, and Halloween despite their pagan origins . Their faulty human reasoning—their rationalization or justification for it—goes like this:

Christmas and Easter must be rejected because they attempt to worship God with pagan customs. The other holidays, though, while people may have once used them to worship God, are now deemed entirely secular. And since God actually forbids using pagan customs to worship Him, we are free to practice pagan worship customs if we are not now using them for worship purposes.

Yet, this bit of twisted logic ignores the fact that God tells the Israelites to eradicate all vestiges of pagan worship from their presence (Deuteronomy 12:2-4), not merely from their worship of Him. Moreover, the New Testament teaches that a Christian's life is to be one of worshipping and honoring God in all we do (I Peter 4:11).

We should see the things in which we participate in the context of bringing glory to Him. This does not mean we cannot have fun; God wants us to enjoy life. But our fun should not be independent of Him (see the principle in Ecclesiastes 11:9). All that we think, say, and do should be to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31)!

No true Christian in good conscience would want to be someone's Valentine, and he certainly would not wish someone a “Happy Valentine's Day!” We must speak the truth in godly love (Ephesians 4:15), not carnal lust. In its fleshly and sensual practices, Valentine's Day falls far short of “worship[ping] the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

The Berean: Daily Verse and Comment

Sign up for the Berean: Daily Verse and Comment, and have Biblical truth delivered to your inbox. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. See what over 150,000 subscribers are already receiving each day.

We respect your privacy. Your email address will not be sold, distributed, rented, or in any way given out to a third party. We have nothing to sell. You may easily unsubscribe at any time.

We respect your privacy. Your email address will not be sold, distributed, rented, or in any way given out to a third party. We have nothing to sell. You may easily unsubscribe at any time.

The letter is interesting to historians for many reasons. First, because Gelasius flat-out describes many of the less seemly rites, and it also allows historians to analyze how Lupercalia changed with time and changed with the perception of the author. For instance, Gelasius indicated that by the 5th century lower classes were the runners, whereas important figures like Mark Antony participated in earlier events.

Whether readers are new to the series or longtime fans, "The Blizzard of the Blue Moon" is sure to captivate and inspire. It serves as a reminder of the magic that can be found within the pages of a book, and the power of imagination to transport us to new and exciting places..

Reviews for "An Ancient Treasure Hunt: Jack and Annie's Latest Quest in the Magic Tree House"

1. Jenna - 2 stars

I was really disappointed with the latest release in the Magic Tree House series. The story felt disjointed and lacked the usual sense of adventure. The characters seemed flat and the plot was predictable. I was hoping for a captivating and magical journey, but instead, I found myself bored and uninterested. Overall, it was a letdown and not up to the standard of the previous books in the series.

2. Mark - 1 star

I cannot express how much I disliked the latest Magic Tree House book. The writing was dull and lacked any sort of excitement or engagement. The story felt like a rehash of previous adventures, and I found myself disinterested from the very beginning. The characters were poorly developed, and their dialogue was wooden and unconvincing. I would not recommend this book to anyone, especially long-time fans of the series who will be disappointed by the lackluster effort.

3. Emily - 2 stars

As a fan of the Magic Tree House series, I was extremely let down by the latest release. The storyline was unoriginal and predictable, with no surprises or twists to keep me engaged. It felt more like a filler book rather than a meaningful addition to the series. The writing style was also flat, lacking the charm and imagination that I had come to expect from the previous books. I hope future releases will bring back the magic and excitement that made me fall in love with this series in the first place.

4. Alex - 3 stars

While I enjoyed aspects of the latest Magic Tree House book, it fell short of my expectations. The story felt rushed and lacked the depth and complexity that I had come to enjoy from previous installments. I also found the plot to be somewhat repetitive, with elements that felt recycled from earlier books. Overall, it was an okay read, but I was left wanting more from the Magic Tree House series.

Diving into the Deep: Exploring the Ocean in the Latest Magic Tree House Book