What Is the History of Valentine’s Day Lupercalia?

Many historians believe the seeds of Valentine’s Day were planted in Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival honoring Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, and the Capitoline Wolf, a mythic creature who supposedly suckled Romulus and Remus, Rome’s twin founders, when they were abandoned as infants.

Some popular valentine’s day traditions include exchanging gifts such as roses or chocolates, and a romantic night out or dinner. School children often exchange valentine’s card that may contain chocolate. The earliest possible origin story of Valentine’s Day is the pagan holiday Lupercalia. Occurring for centuries in the middle of February, the holiday celebrates fertility. Men would strip naked and sacrifice a goat and dog.

The Lupercal (from Latin lupa “female wolf”) was a cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome, located somewhere between the temple of Magna Mater and the Sant’Anastasia al Palatino.

He was beaten with clubs and stones; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273. There are many other legends behind Saint Valentine.

Who Should Give Gifts on Valentines Day?

Both men and women buy gifts for one another, and you want your gift to represent where you are now, and not scare the other person off by giving a gift that signifies through intimacy or cost that the relationship is further along than the person feels comfortable with it being.

Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the third century. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.

The earliest possible origin story of Valentine’s Day is the pagan holiday Lupercalia. Occurring for centuries in the middle of February, the holiday celebrates fertility. Men would strip naked and sacrifice a goat and dog.

Valentine’s Day is widely believed to have began with the martyrdom of three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus in Rome during the 3rd century. This Roman version is linked to a pagan festival known as Lupercalia, which was celebrated on or around February 15.

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.

There is a calendar overlap, but there’s no indication that one was replaced by another,” Vukovic says. The earliest historical record of the Lupercalia was from the 3rd century BCE, while the last record was from the end of the 5th century CE — around the same time Pope Gelasius I created a day for Saint Valentine.

Is Lupercalia 2023 a Pagan Holiday? While Lupercalia does have Pagan origins, it’s not a commonly practiced celebration in more modern times. However, feel free to include it in your Pagan Holiday celebrations if you like.

Emperor Claudius II executed two men — both named Valentine — on Feb. 14 of different years in the third century. Their martyrdom was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.

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