Nobody should be allowed to get through Valentine's Day without reading the Wikipedia entry on the origins of today's holiday. The day's history is quite rich and covers many traditions, including the Greeks, Romans, Roman Catholics, peoples of North America, and other cultures.
It's all based on the archetypal human need to love and be loved, I think. And the great stories that go along with that impulse make the holiday that much better.
I love the following excerpt...
February fertility festivals
The association of the middle of February with love and fertility dates to ancient times. In the calendar of Ancient Athens, the period between mid January and mid February was the month of Gamelion, which was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.
In Ancient Rome, the day of February 15 was Lupercalia, the festival of Lupercus, the god of fertility, who was represented as half-naked and dressed in goat skins.
As part of the purification ritual, the priests of Lupercus would sacrifice goats to the god, and after drinking wine, they would run through the streets of Rome holding pieces of the goat skin above their heads, touching anyone they met. Young women especially would come forth voluntarily for the occasion, in the belief that being so touched would render them fruitful and bring easy childbirth.
It's great stuff, but I won't steal any more of Wiki's thunder. Visit the Valentine's entry on Wikipedia to read the entire entry. It's well worth it.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Mike
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I'd like to welcome DocTorDee to Ralph's Place. He is a knowledgeable man and scholar, well-versed in many of the topics near and dear to our hearts here at Ralph's. Thanks for the pagan insights into this holiday named after a Catholic saint. Of course, this Cupid guy has always been sort of a giveaway...
Cheers.
Ralph
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