@hedgerow_healing: Valentines Day origin 💕 Like most events, festivals, customs, and traditions that form a major part of today's society and culture, they can often be traced back much further than many of us think. Valentines Day is a great example, with roots as far back as ancient Rome, when Romans were still heavily pagan and worshipped multiple deities. The festival of Lupercalia is the main contender for the origin of Valentines Day, and in fact many of the symbols that we use on this day have their roots in Lupercalia. The colour red, that holds prode and place as part of Valentines day, was meant to symbolise the blood spilt from the sacrificed animals during Lupercalia festivities, while white was a symbol for purification. The main point of Lupercalia was that it was a fertility festival and focused on sex and increasing fertility in women. Goats and dogs were sacrificed during sacred rituals in the Lupercal cave, and men would be smeared with their blood. Long strips were then cut from the goat skins, and women who wished to get pregnant or who were having a tough time conceiving were whipped with these strips in a ritual that was supposed to increase fertility. The night usually ended with a sexually-charged feast, and it definitely would have been a sight to behold! However, centuries later, during the rise of Christian worship in the Roman Empire, Lupercalia celebrations began to die out and became much more reserved until they were eventually condemned altogether by the church. Instead, Feburary the 14th became associated with the tale of Saint Valentine, though much of the symbology that is still used during today's Valentines Day has its roots in the older festival of Lupercalia. . . . . #valentines #valentinesstory #ValentinesDay #Love #fertility #ancientritual #fertilityritual #lupercalia #paganfestival #pagantraditions #paganfolklore #romanstory #festival #Romans #Rome #romanfolklore #paganrome #hedgerowhealing

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Thursday 13 February 2025 21:29:54 GMT