Pagam holiday Lupercalia is an ancient Roman festival that was celebrated annually on February 15th. This festival was dedicated to the gods Lupercus and Faunus, and was believed to ensure fertility, purify the city, and protect it from evil spirits. During Lupercalia, priests, known as Luperci, would gather at the Lupercal Cave on Palatine Hill, where Romulus and Remus were said to have been cared for by a she-wolf. The priests would sacrifice a goat and a dog, and then use the goat's hide to make strips called februa. They would then run through the streets, striking people with the februa to cleanse and purify them. Lupercalia also included a matchmaking ritual.
Will you be celebrating Lupercalia this year? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
Unfortunately, in the 5th Century Pope Gelasius banned the festival due to its nudity and drunkenness and then replaced it with a much more sober occasion called the the Festival of the Purification of the Virgin Mary. , Pope Gelasius I eliminated the pagan celebration of Lupercalia and declared February 14 a day to celebrate the martyrdom of Saint Valentine instead, although it s highly unlikely he intended the day to commemorate love and passion.
Lupercalia also included a matchmaking ritual. Young unmarried women would put their names in a jar, and young unmarried men would draw a name to be paired with for the duration of the festival. Often, these pairings would lead to marriage.
All About Lupercalia || The Pagan Origins of Valentine's Day
Lupercalia is an old Pagan festival coming from Ancient Rome. It takes place on February 15th and it began as a way to honor the founding of Rome. The root of the word Lupercalia means “wolf” so this festival celebrated the twin founders Romulus & Remus, who were cared for by a she-wolf as children.
On Lupercalia two groups of priests would meet in the Luperical Cave within the Palantine Hill. One group of priests were descended from the followers of Romulus and the other group were descended from the followers of Remus. Like most pagan festivals, Lupercalia began with a big feast and lots of wine. After the feasting the priests would sacrifice some goats & one dog to the Gods.
It was very rare among the Romans to sacrifice a dog so Lupercalia was most likely the only time during the year when this happened. Since this festival celebrated the she-wolf that saved Romulus & Remus, the dog was a symbolic stand-in for a wolf in this instance.
After the sacrifice two priests would come forward and the sacrificial blood would be placed on the forehead and then washed off with goats milk. This symbolically washed away the feud & violence between the founding brothers of Rome.
Afterward, all the priests would leave the cave and take the hides of the sacrificed goats to create whips out of the pieces of hide. They stripped naked and ran up and down the city streets lightly whipping the people as they ran. The whips weren’t designed to hurt anyone; this was meant to be a playful and humorous act. In fact, people wanted to get hit as it was believed that being hit with the goat whip would bring good luck and make you more fertile.
Over the years Lupercalia increased in popularity among the Roman people and transformed into a festival that primarily celebrated fertility & childbirth. This festival was so loved that it even survived after the Western Roman Empire fell. Unfortunately, in the 5th Century Pope Gelasius banned the festival due to its nudity and drunkenness and then replaced it with a much more sober occasion called the the Festival of the Purification of the Virgin Mary.
Even though Lupercalia stopped being widely celebrated after the 5th century I do think it’s telling that we celebrate our own modern fertility festival, Valentine's Day, at about the same time as Lupercalia.
Will you be celebrating Lupercalia this year? Share your thoughts below in the comments.
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Another highlight of Lupercalia was a ceremonial feast held in the afternoon. The Luperci would gather at the Comitium, a public meeting place in Rome, and offer prayers and sacrifices to the gods. Following the ceremony, the participants would enjoy a festive meal, accompanied by music, dancing, and games. Over time, Lupercalia became associated with Valentine's Day, due to its focus on fertility and matchmaking. However, as Christianity spread and pagan rituals were gradually replaced, Lupercalia was banned in the 5th century AD by Pope Gelasius I. Nevertheless, many elements of Lupercalia, such as sending love notes and gift exchanges, have been incorporated into the modern celebration of Valentine's Day..
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