Valentine’s Day: A far Cry From Lupercalia
Valentine’s Day likely has its roots in human sacrifice, and you can still smell the blood–especially if you are going through a divorce or some similar non-Hallmark event around mid-February.
While it’s well known that any of several historical or quasi-historical saints could be the original St. Valentine, many have forgotten that the Catholic church arguably constructed the worship of St. Valentine to paper over pagan fertility rites that had been celebrated in February long before Christianity came into being.
The Romans celebrated the Lupercalia in February as fertility rites harkening back to the wolf that suckled the legendary founders of Rome. The Lupercalia involved some animal sacrifice, possibly with origins in eldritch human sacrifice, along with stylized flogging. as late as the fifth century the Lupercalia entailed a legendary “Roman Lottery” in which nubile females placed their names in an urn to be selected for a one-year mating period.
And we have e-Harmony. And that’s supposed to be progress.
At least we still have the flogging. So make Valentine’s Day a special day to commemorate the fact that we always hurt the ones we love.
And sometimes they deserve it.
Image from here.
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2 opinions for Valentine’s Day: A far Cry From Lupercalia
b5media - You Gotta Have Heart!
Feb 14, 2008 at 5:33 am
[…] Valentine’s Day with a historical perspective, try Paul at Starked DC’s post A Far Cry From Lupercalia, or a more grittier look back with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, from Matt at The Chicago […]
Go ’round the world with love
Feb 14, 2008 at 10:46 am
[…] Valentine’s Day with a historical perspective, try Paul at Starked DC’s post A Far Cry From Lupercalia, or a more grittier look back with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, from Matt at The Chicago […]
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