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Lupercalia was an ancient pagan festival held each year in Rome on February 15. Although Valentine’s Day shares its name with a martyred Christian saint, some historians believe the holiday is Historical Crossroads: Valentine’s Day and Lupercalia. While Valentine’s Day is widely recognized as a celebration of love in modern times, its historical roots are far more intricate and, believe it or not, a bit wilder. The mid-February timing of Valentine’s Day intriguingly aligns with the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia Valentine’s Day is the Modern equivalent of Lupercalia, even though much of the symbolism of the former has been lost over time, subsumed into the latter’s imagery of hearts, red, white and pink. Those colors, and the same themes, come from Lupercalia; how can we, as Modern Pagans, living in a Modern World, embrace this holiday? L ong before Valentine’s Day was celebrated, a festival that had nothing to do with love took place around the same time of the year. It was called Lupercalia, and it occurred on February 15 Before Valentine’s Day became a celebration of love, February 14th was linked to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia. Held from February 13th to 15th, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. It’s often speculated that Valentine’s Day has its roots in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, and it’s not hard to see why. Lupercalia was observed on February 15, and involved fertility rituals — albeit along with animal sacrifice and ritual whipping. Yet the link between this pagan festival and the Christian feast day that morphed into our modern ode to love and romance is Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, The story of Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day may show how a holiday can retain the same themes over 2,000 years and do a complete 180-degree turn on how those themes are expressed and celebrated. In this blog I intend to explain how it is likely tied in with St Valentine's day. The origin of the name, Lupercalia also known as the Feast of Lupercal, is derived not only from the Roman Fertility God, Lupercus but also from the name given to the cave where Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome were alleged to have been nurtured by a she-wolf. The pivotal transformation from Lupercalia to St. Valentine's Day transpired towards the closing years of the 5th century. This change was instituted by Pope Gelasius I, who, in a bid to sanctify this day of love and fertility, declared February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day. The newly minted holiday was to honor the martyrdom of St. Valentine Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, Valentine's Day is a time to celebrate romance and love and kissy-face fealty. Pope Gelasius I muddled things in the fifth century by combining St. Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the Valentine’s Day, holiday (February 14) when lovers express their affection with greetings and gifts. It may have had beginnings in the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which celebrated the coming of spring and included fertility rites and other activities, but the origin of the holiday is vague at best. Lupercalia survived the initial rise of Christianity but was outlawed—as it was deemed “un-Christian”—at the end of the 5th century, when Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine Discover the history of Lupercalia, the ancient Roman fertility and purification festival that some say inspired Valentine's Day. Feast of Lupercalia . On February 15, Romans celebrated Luperaclia, honoring Faunus, god of fertility. Men would go to a grotto dedicated to Lupercal, the wolf god, located at the foot of Palatine Hill and where Romans believed that the founders of Rome, Romulus and Remus, were suckled by a she-wolf. "Celebrated at the ides of February, or Feb. 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is Test your love knowledge with these 55 fun Valentine’s Day trivia questions! Discover facts about history, traditions, and pop culture. 💕 Lupercalia was a Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history. Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, Well, technically, the Pope replaced Lupercalia with the slightly less popular “Feast of the Purification of The Blessed Virgin Mary,” but eventually, it became Valentine’s Day. The holiday got the name St. Valentine’s Day because people named Valentine had a strange habit of dying on February 14.
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