Lupercalia

No one knows the exact origin of Lupercalia, but it has been traced back as far as the 6th century B.C.

The festival has ties to the legendary founding of Rome in 753 B.C. According to Roman legend, the ancient King Amulius ordered Romulus and Remus, his twin nephews, to be thrown into the Tiber River to drown in retribution for their mother’s broken vow of celibacy. A servant took pity on them, however, and placed them inside a basket on the river instead. The river-god carried the basket and the brothers downriver to a wild fig tree where it became caught in the branches. A she-wolf rescued and cared for the brothers in a den at the base of Palatine Hill.

The twins were later adopted by a shepherd and his wife and learned their father’s trade. After killing the uncle who had ordered their death, they found the cave den of the she-wolf who had nurtured them and named it Lupercal. The brothers also decided to build the city of Rome on Palatine Hill.

It is thought Lupercalia took place to honor the she-wolf and please Lupercus, the Roman god of shepherds and fertility.

Lupercalia rituals occurred in a few places: Lupercal cave, on Palatine Hill and within the Roman open-air, public meeting place called the Comitium. The day of Lupercalia was known as “Purified Day” in a nod to the ritual sacrifice at the heart of the festival.

Lupercalia began at Lupercal cave with the sacrifice of one or more male goats, which represented sexuality, and a dog. A group of Roman priests known as Luperci performed the sacrifices. Afterward, the foreheads of two nude or mostly naked Luperci were smeared with the animals’ blood using the bloody, sacrificial knife. The blood was then removed with a piece of milk-soaked wool as the two Luperci laughed.

According to Festivals and Ceremonies of the Roman Republic, the ceremony also included an offering of mola salsa. The Vestal Virgins prepared these salted grain cakes that were regularly presented as sacrifices.

In Ancient Rome, feasting began after the ritual sacrifice. When the feast of Lupercal was over, the Luperci cut strips, also called thongs or februa, of goat hide from the newly sacrificed goats. They then ran naked, or nearly naked, around Palatine and whipped anyone within striking distance with the thongs. The Romans believed these strikes would purify recipients by dispelling evil spirits. Whipping women was further thought to make them fertile and encourage healthy childbirth.

Another possible Lupercalia tradition involved matchmaking. Men would randomly choose a woman’s name from a jar, and the couple would spend the duration of the festival together. Often, the couple stayed together until the following year’s festival. Many fell in love and married. However, in his book America’s Favorite Holidays: Candid Histories, Bruce David Forbes writes “there is no reliable evidence” to support this theory.

Over time, nakedness during Lupercalia lost popularity. The festival became more chaste, if still undignified, and women were whipped on their hands by fully clothed men.

In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, Caesar famously refused a golden crown presented to him by Mark Antony during the feast of Lupercalia in 44 B.C. Later, William Shakespeare wrote of the incident and Lupercalia in his play “Julius Caesar.”

Starting in the 4th century A.D., Christian leaders in Rome sought to outlaw pagan worship and rituals. Even so, Lupercalia festivals continued to be held for more than a century.

Finally, around 494, Pope Gelasius I eliminated Lupercalia for good. In lieu of the pagan festival, according to some sources, he promoted the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary (commonly known as Candlemas). That feast was originally held on February 14 but moved to February 2 nearly 50 years later.

Many other sources report that in 496 Gelasius established St. Valentine’s Day. The feast was held on February 14 to honor a martyred Christian saint.

There are several legends surrounding the life of St. Valentine. The most common is that on one February 14 during the 3rd century A.D., a man named Valentine was executed by order of Roman Emperor Claudius II. The Christian priest was imprisoned for assisting persecuted Christians and secretly marrying Christian couples who were in love.

As the story goes, during Valentine’s imprisonment, he tried converting Claudius to Christianity. Claudius became enraged and ordered Valentine to reject his faith or be killed. He refused to forsake his faith, so Valentine was beheaded.

Legend also tells of another story that happened during Valentine’s imprisonment after he tutored a girl named Julia, the blind daughter of his jailer. The legend states God restored Julia’s sight after she and Valentine prayed together. On the eve of his execution, Valentine supposedly penned a note to Julia and signed it, “From your Valentine.”

Some historians believe more than one man named Valentine was executed under Claudius II’s rule. Despite the ambiguity surrounding Valentine and his life, the Catholic Church declared him a saint and listed him in Roman Martyrology as being martyred on February 14.

Today, St. Valentine has a reputation as a “patron of lovers” and is synonymous with romance. It is highly unlikely, however, that Pope Gelasius intended Valentine’s Day to commemorate love and passion. It was not until the late 14th century that historical record shows the holiday began to be interpreted as an amorous occasion.

Some modern biblical scholars warn Christians not to celebrate Valentine’s Day since it is thought to be based on pagan rituals. It is true that Valentine’s Day uses some of Lupercalia’s symbols, intentionally or not. The color red could represent the blood sacrifice during Lupercalia. Meanwhile, the color white could signify the milk used to wipe the blood clean and represent new life and procreation.

Is Valentine’s Day based off of Lupercalia? Like many ancient traditions, there is a lot of haziness surrounding the origins and rituals of Lupercalia and how they influenced the Valentine’s Day holiday. Lupercalia is no longer a mainstream, public celebration for obvious reasons, but some non-Christians still recognize the ancient event on February 14 (instead of Valentine’s Day) and celebrate in private.