Do pagans still celebrate Lupercalia?
Lupercalia was popular and one of the few pagan holidays still celebrated 150 years after Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire. (Learn about Valentine's Day with your kids.) When Pope Gelasius came to power in the late fifth century he put an end to Lupercalia.
How did Lupercalia become Valentine's day?
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's Day. It was not until much later, however, that the day became definitively associated with love.
What year was Lupercalia celebrated?
Descriptions of the Lupercalia festival of 44 BC attest to its continuity; Julius Caesar used it as the backdrop for his public refusal of a golden crown offered to him by Mark Antony.
What is the final event of Lupercalia?
The final ritual of Lupercalia is the most notorious. The Feast of Lupercalia was as much about feasting as it was about flesh. Following the ritual sacrifice of the goat and eating its meat, men would cut strips of the goat's hide and were set loose upon the city.
Who outlawed Lupercalia?
Pope GelasiusPope Gelasius Outlawed Lupercalia So, he decided that February 14th would be the day to celebrate Saint Valentine. Although some medieval historians refute that Pope Gelasius was the one to replace Lupercalia with a Saint Valentine celebration.
What was sacrificed at the Lupercalia?
At the Lupercal cave, a dog and one or more male goats, to represent sexuality were sacrificed by the Luperci, a group of priests. Two of them, at this point naked, would be smeared by the blood from the sacrificial knife. As the Luperci priests laughed, the blood was removed with wool soaked in milk.
What was lupercus the god of?
Lupercus was a protector of the farmers, harvesting and packs of wild animals. Every year on 15 February in honor of him, the Romans held the Lupercalia. He was an ancient Italian god, worshipped by shepherds as the promoter of fertility in sheep and protector of flocks.
What does Lupercalia mean in English?
Definition of Lupercalia : an ancient Roman festival celebrated February 15 to ensure fertility for the people, fields, and flocks.
What is the real origin of Valentine's day?
It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
What are the similarities between Lupercalia and Valentine's day?
Instead of Valentine's Day having its roots in Lupercalia, it appears that the two events have little in common besides sharing a calendar date in mid-February. Long gone are the days of goat sacrifices — and those mid-February days are no longer anything special when it comes to fertility.
Why is it called Lupercalia?
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.
What happens during Lupercalia?
Often, the couple stayed together until the following year’s festival. Many fell in love and married. Over time, nakedness during Lupercalia lost popularity.
Where did Lupercalia take place?
Lupercalia rituals took place in a few places: Lupercal cave, on Palatine Hill and within the Roman open-air, public meeting place called the Comitium. The festival began at Lupercal cave with the sacrifice of one or more male goats—a representation of sexuality—and a dog.
What was the name of the strip of goat hide that was cut off for the feast of Lupercal?
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.
Why is February 14th celebrated?
In the late 5th century A.D., 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.
What happened to Valentine?
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.
When was Lupercalia first discovered?
No one knows the exact origin of Lupercalia, but it has been traced back as far as the 6th century B.C.
Who executed Valentine?
Some historians believe more than one man named Valentine was executed by Claudius II. 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.
Where is Lupercalia celebrated?
Lupercalia was celebrated in parts of Italy and Gaul; Luperci are attested by inscriptions at Velitrae, Praeneste, Nemausus (modern Nîmes) and elsewhere. The ancient cult of the Hirpi Sorani ("wolves of Soranus", from Sabine hirpus "wolf"), who practiced at Mt. Soracte, 45 km (28 mi) north of Rome, had elements in common with the Roman Lupercalia.
What is Lupercalia's origin?
The name Lupercalia was believed in antiquity to evince some connection with the Ancient Greek festival of the Arcadian Lykaia, a wolf festival ( Greek: λύκος, lýkos; Latin: lupus ), and the worship of Lycaean Pan, assumed to be a Greek equivalent to Faunus, as instituted by Evander.
What is the feast of Lupercalia?
sacrifices of goats and a dog by the Luperci; offering of cakes by the Vestals; fertility rite in which the goatskin-clad Luperci strike women who wish to conceive. Date. February 15. Lupercalia was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility.
Where did the Luperci run naked?
The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs (known as februa) from the flayed skin of the animal, and ran with these, naked or near-naked, along the old Palatine boundary, in an anticlockwise direction around the hill. In Plutarch 's description of the Lupercalia, written during the early Empire ,
What is the name of the fig tree that Romulus and Remus were brought to?
Near the cave stood a sanctuary of Rumina, goddess of breastfeeding; and the wild fig-tree ( Ficus Ruminalis) to which Romulus and Remus were brought by the divine intervention of the river-god Tiberinus ; some Roman sources name the wild fig tree caprificus, literally "goat fig".
What is the name of the play that begins during the Lupercalia?
William Shakespeare 's play Julius Caesar begins during the Lupercalia. Mark Antony is instructed by Caesar to strike his wife Calpurnia, in the hope that she will be able to conceive.
Who were the priests of Lupercalia?
The Lupercalia had its own priesthood, the Luperci ("brothers of the wolf"), whose institution and rites were attributed either to the Arcadian culture-hero Evander, or to Romulus and Remus, erstwhile shepherds who had each established a group of followers.
What is Lupercalia?
Sex, violence, and drunkenness: For centuries, Lupercalia was a major Roman party, surviving well into the rise of Christianity. And pretty soon, someone on your Facebook feed is probably going to claim that this holiday gave rise to our modern Valentine’s Day.
What is Lupercalia famous for?
Lupercalia is when Julius Caesar was offered the crown. Today, Lupercalia is probably most famous for what happened on February 15, 44 BCE. That day a “ naked, perfumed, drunk ” Mark Antony was one of the runners while Julius Caesar watched the proceedings from a throne. Antony went up to Julius Caesar with a diadem (a type of crown or headband) ...
Why are the Luperci called Lupercalia?
According to the 1st century BCE scholar Marcus Terentius Varro, "the Luperci [are so called] because at the Lupercalia they sacrifice at the Lupercal … the Lupercalia are so called because [that is when] the Luperci sacrifice at the Lupercal.". This incredibly unhelpful circular definition has led to centuries of debate about who, or what, ...
Why is Gelasius' letter interesting?
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.
What animals were sacrificed at Lupercalia?
Every year on February 15, the festival began by going to the Lupercal (the legendary site where Romulus and Remus were suckled) and sacrificing a dog and a goat. According to scholar Keith Hopkins, this was unusual in and of itself, because pigs, sheep, and bulls were most commonly used as sacrificial animals.
What was Lupercalia's main event?
Sex, violence, and drunkenness: For centuries, Lupercalia was a major Roman party, surviving well into the rise of Christianity. And pretty soon, someone on your Facebook feed is probably going to claim that this holiday gave rise to our modern Valentine’s Day. So what’s the true story behind the ancient Roman festival and its relation to candy hearts?
Why do people whip Lupercalia?
Then two sets of runners (a third set would be added later) would make their way through the streets of the city, whipping whomever they met on their way. According to some accounts, women would volunteer to be whipped because it was believed to bring fertility and make the birthing process easier for them. But as the years passed, things changed; by the 3rd century, the voluntary nature of this ritual seemed to be less voluntary. Hopkins claims that a mosaic featuring a Lupercalia celebration features “two men forcibly holding a naked woman face upwards, while a third man, half naked, whips her thighs ... The men’s drunken hilarity is matched by the beaten woman’s obvious pain."
When was Lupercalia celebrated?
Historians know it was celebrated at least as early as the 6th century B.C., but it’s possible it’s even older than that.
Who abolished Lupercalia?
People gradually started leaving their clothes on during the celebration, and animal sacrifice was also eventually prohibited. It was Pope Gelasius who finally abolished the celebration altogether.
Why is Lupercalia celebrated on February 15th?
Because it was celebrated on February 15, and so many modern holidays are rooted in Pagan traditions, it’s easy to see why some believe there’s a connection.
Where did the Luperci start?
The festival began at Lupercal Cave, which was believed to have been the home of the wolf that raised Romulus and Remus. The Luperci (the priests of Lupercus) got naked and slaughtered male goats and a dog in the cave. They ritualistically smeared themselves with blood in the process.
Did Lupercal follow the ritual sacrifice?
And, of course, since few Pagan celebrations were complete without a feast, the feast of Lupercal followed the ritual sacrifice.
How long did Lupercalia last?
It ended about 1200 years later, at the end of the 5th century A.D., at least in the West, although it continued in the East for another few centuries. There may be many reasons why Lupercalia lasted so long, but most important must have been its wide appeal.
How many stages were there in Lupercalia?
There were two stages to the events of the Lupercalia:
What is the Latin word for wolf Luperci?
Although originally the Luperci had to be aristocrats, the Sodales Luperci came to include equestrians, and then, the lower classes. Etymologically, Luperci, Lupercalia, and Lupercal all relate to the Latin for 'wolf' lupus, as do various Latin words connected with brothels. The Latin for she-wolf was slang for prostitute.
Why were the Luperci naked?
While running, the Luperci struck those men or women they encountered with goatskin thongs (or perhaps a lagobolon 'throwing stick' in the early years) following the opening event: a sacrifice of goat or goat and dog.
Why is Lupercalia celebrated?
Updated January 14, 2020. Lupercalia is one of the most ancient of the Roman holidays (one of the feriae listed on ancient calendars from even before the time Julius Caesar reformed the calendar). It is familiar to us today for two main reasons: It is associated with Valentine's Day. It is the setting for Caesar's refusal ...
Why did Luperci strike women?
Perhaps the Luperci struck men and women to sever any deadly influence they were under , as Michaels suggests. That they might be under such an influence has to do with the fact that one of the festivals to honor the dead, the Parentalia, occurred at about the same time.
What is the name of the cave where Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-?
The name of the Lupercalia was talked about a lot in the wake of the 2007 discovery of the legendary Lupercal cave where, supposedly, the twins Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf.
What is Lupercalia?
There is quite a bit of debate regarding many aspects of Lupercalia, with scholars having various stances regarding its origin, traditions, and influence.
Is Lupercalia the Origin of Valentine’s Day?
The connection between Lup ercalia and Valentine’s Day remains unclear. There are some common themes associated with them, including fertility, matchmaking, and the symbolism of the color red. However, many historians claim it’s merely a coincidence, and the connection just isn’t there.
What is Lupercalia?
Lupercalia is an ancient Roman festival of fertility and purification. It’s celebrated from February 14th to the 15th and predates Valentine’s Day by centuries! Every year, the ancient Romans would perform rituals and then throw parties all in the name of purification. To purify the city of Rome on this festival guaranteed a good crop, plenty of pregnant ladies, and overall good health and happy people. Some sources suggest Lupercalia predates even ancient Rome! The name is linked to the wolf (lupus) and therefore the priesthood, the Luperci, were the Brotherhood of the Wolf.
What is the meaning of Lupercalia?
1. Cleansing & Purging . Lupercalia is in the month of February, and it was also called dies Februatus by the ancient Romans. Februatus translates to “purge”. Therefore, if you don’t want to celebrate the pagan Valentine’s Day with love-making and feasting, make it a day of cleansing and purging.
What customs did Lupercalia customs?
Ancient Lupercalia Customs: The Hott and the Horrendous. In addition to being linked to the wolf, Lupercalia was a “breastfeeding” festival and tied to the founders of Rome – Romulus and Remus and a nursing-goddess Rumina. Our readers know we don’t candy coat things.
Can we celebrate Lupercalia?
Clearly we’re not going to engage in the brutal ancient customs of the Romans, BUT we can celebrate Lupercalia in our own modern way. This is particularly a fun holiday to celebrate if you dislike Valentine’s Day, don’t have a lover, or just want to try something different. Mix and match or choose just one. But have a fun Lupercalia!
Overview
Lupercalia was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as dies Februatus, after the purification instruments called februa, the basis for the month named Februarius.
Name
The festival was originally known as Februa ("Purifications" or "Purgings") after the februum which was used on the day. It was also known as Februatus and gave its name variously, as epithet to Juno Februalis, Februlis, or Februata in her role as patron deity of that month; to a supposed purification deity called Februus; and to February (mensis Februarius), the month during which the festival occurred. Ovid connects februare to an Etruscan word for "purging".
Rites
The rites were confined to the Lupercal cave, the Palatine Hill, and the Forum, all of which were central locations in Rome's foundation myth. Near the cave stood a sanctuary of Rumina, goddess of breastfeeding; and the wild fig-tree (Ficus Ruminalis) to which Romulus and Remus were brought by the divine intervention of the river-god Tiberinus; some Roman sources name the wild fig …
History
The Februa was of ancient and possibly Sabine origin. After February was added to the Roman calendar, Februa occurred on its fifteenth day (a.d. XV Kal. Mart.). Of its various rituals, the most important came to be those of the Lupercalia. The Romans themselves attributed the instigation of the Lupercalia to Evander, a culture hero from Arcadia who was credited with bringing the Olympic pantheon, Greek laws and alphabet to Italy, where he founded the city of Pallantium on t…
Legacy
Horace's Ode III, 18 alludes to the Lupercalia. The festival or its associated rituals gave its name to the Roman month of February (mensis Februarius) and thence to the modern month. The Roman god Februus personified both the month and purification, but seems to postdate both.
William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar begins during the Lupercalia. Mark An…
Further reading
• Beard, Mary; North, John; Price, Simon. Religions of Rome: A History. Cambridge University Press, 1998, vol. 1, limited preview online; search "Lupercalia".
• Lincoln, Bruce. Authority: Construction and Corrosion. University of Chicago Press, 1994, pp. 43–44 online on Julius Caesar and the politicizing of the Lupercalia; valuable list of sources pp. 182–183.
External links
• William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 1875: Lupercalia