Saturday, February 14, 2009

Valentine's Day



Valentine's Day is the remenant of a popular Roman festival of fertility aka Lupercalia. Basically, youths ran naked through the streets of Rome, hitting people with shaggy bits of fur. Women would try to get hit as it was supposed to increase fertility. The festival was in honour of the She wolf who had suckled Romulus and Remus. The statue of the wolf is far older than the statue of Romulus and Remus beneath it. It may point some worship of wolves by the early Romans which was remembered in the myth.

Several years ago, they thought they had found the Lupercal or cave at the base of the Palatine where the rites took place. However, it is disputed and the cave decoration may merely date from Nero.

The festival was so popular that when the time came, an alternative had to be invented. St Valentine was martyred on this date and thus his feast day was used to mask the rites.


Now of course, Valentine's Day is more about hearts, flowers and chocolates. But I thought it appropriate that my Labrador has his birthday today. He is 12.
So whether you celebrate Lupercalia or Valentine's, I hope you had a good one.

1 comment:

Kate Hardy said...

Hope you had a lovely day. Gorgeous pic of your dog!