02-14-2003, 05:37 PM
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obsolete
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 617
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The Origins of Valentine's Day
Just thought I'd share an article I wrote for a group that discusses ancient religions:
THE ORIGINS OF VALENTINE'S DAY
Originally celebrated at the Palatine on 15 February by the ancient Romans in honor of the gods Lupercus and Faunus as well as to honor Romulus and Remus, Lupercalia was a festival of both fertility and the atonement for any unintentional offense against the gods.
A cave on the Palatine was believed to have been where Romulus and Remus had been raised by the she-wolf. The cave was called Lupercal and was the center of the ceremonies.
Goats and a dog were sacrificed by the Luperci who wore the goatskins. They smeared themselves in blood and fashioned thongs (called februa, means of purification) and ran around the hill flailing women who had positioned themselves to be struck. This would assure them of fertility and easy childbirth.
Although boys and girls were separate in society, girls names were placed in a vessel of some sort and drawn by the boys on the eve of the festivities. The boys were then paired with the girls whose names they had drawn and remained so until the celebration the following year.
In 44BC, Marc Antony running as one of the Luperci, approached Caesar and offered a laurel wreath as a token of sovereignity. Caesar rejected it and was assassinated exactly one month later.
In the time of Emperor Claudius II, after he decreed that soldiers were not to become engaged or married because it would detract from their dedication toward the military, a priest named Valentine performed secret marriages for these men. He was put to death on 14 February for his disobedience, and later canonized.
With the rise of Christianity, and the assimilation of pagan ritual and ceremony into its own systems of belief, priests later moved Lupercalia to the 14 February and renamed the celebration St. Valentine's Day.
Hugs to all... And remember to cherish the ones you hold closest to your hearts not only on this day, but every day. :heart:
~Maid
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