It’s February the month all about love, romance, sex, and fertility and we have two major holidays that focus on that for us to celebrate. Most people know about one of them; Valentine’s Day but, do you know where that holiday originates from? Lupercalia, an Ancient Roman festival for fertility and purification. Some even call it the Pagan Valentine’s Day. So, if you don’t want to get sucked into all the commercialism and Christianized holiday plus have a lot more fun, Lupercalia is the holiday for you!
In this post I will walk you thru both holidays, how to connect to them, and the give you some ways to celebrate them in your life!
So, What is Lupercalia?
Lupercalia is an ancient Roman festival of fertility and purification. It’s celebrated from February 14th to the 15th and predates Valentine’s Day by centuries! Every year, the ancient Romans would perform rituals and then throw parties all in the name of purification. To purify the city of Rome on this festival guaranteed a good crop, plenty of pregnant ladies, and overall good health and happy people for the whole city.
No one is really sure how far back this Roman festival really goes, but some have traced it back to the 6th century BC. And others date it back to long before Rome was a power. It is said to have been a Shepard’s festival that was brought to Rome by Romulus and Remus.
The legend of Romulus and Remus; the myth behind Lupercalia
The legend has it that the Roman king, King Amulius, orders his twin nephews be killed for their mother’s broken vow of celibacy. They were to be throw in the Tiber River.
Instead of just being tossed in- they were placed in a basket by a servant. The river-god is said to have carried the basket down river where it got caught in the branches of a wild fig tree. The twins were rescued by a she-wolf in a den at the base of Palatine Hill.
Later, the twins were adopted by a Shepard and his wife and learned the shepherds’ trade. After killing their uncle- King Amulius, they found the den of the she-wolf that raise them and name is Lupercal. Lupercal was named after the Roman fertility god Lupercus.
Lupercalia is the celebration to honor both the God and the she-wolf that raised them.
In addition to being linked to the wolf, Lupercalia was a “breastfeeding” festival and tied to the founders of Rome – Romulus and Remus and the she wolf who nursed them.
So, how did they celebrate Lupercalia?
Ritual sacrifice was completed by the Roman’s to start off this festival. There was a sacrifice of a goat and a dog. The goat for fertility and the dog was most likely to honor the she-wolf. The Roman priests, called Luperci, would sacrifice the goat and the dog, smear the blood on the foreheads of 2 youths and as they wiped it away with a piece of milk-soaked wool, the youths were required to laugh. After the Ritual Sacrifice, came the feast.
When the feasting was over, the skin of the goat would be cut into strips or thongs (called februa). The men would them run around naked, or nearly naked, whipping women with the thongs. A lot of women welcomed the lashes as they believed it to be a fertility consecration. Getting whipped was supposed to make your fertile, so the more whippings, the more fertile. It was even said by visitors from other cities that the women would “bare” their skin and welcome the whippings. This was a symbolic gesture of purification of the men and a symbolic purification of the land.
During the Lupercalia festival, men chose women’s names from a jar and would be coupled with them for the festival. Some sources reference this as the lottery of Lupercalia. This festival was all about fertility and sex so all sorts of debauchery happened. Sometimes, they would even stay together until the next year’s festival, or even get married.
It is important to note this practice was added to the history of the celebration in 1756, in Alban Butler’s Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints (Vol. 2, s.v. February XIV, St. Valentine, Priest and Martyr).
Over time, the sexuality of the festival was lost until it was fully clothed men whipping women’s hands. BORING!
How did Lupercalia become Valentine’s day?
Saint Valentine was said to be a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned and beheaded by Roman Emperor Claudius II for assisting persecuted Christians and secretly marrying Christian couples in love. He even tired converting Claudius to Christianity while he was imprisoned. He was beheaded on February 14, which later became known as Valentine’s Day.
I know you are thinking, okay so how does this become Valentine’s day, well we all know the Catholic church and it doesn’t matter how long it takes they find a reason Christianize a holiday.
Well, after the Catholic church declared Valentine a saint, a pope in 494 CE, Pope Gelasius I eliminated the pagan festival of Lupercalia. He decided that February 14 would be the day to celebrate Saint Valentine, who had become known as the patron of lovers. February 14 fell smack dab in the middle of the Lupercalia festival that typically happened somewhere between February 13-15.
This is up for debate still though; as the Valentine’s Day celebration can only be traced as far back as the Middle Ages, well after Pope Gelasius and Saint Valentine. Some Christians today even choose not to celebrate Valentine’s Day because it is based off of the pagan festival of Lupercalia.
Correspondences for Lupercalia
First, what is a correspondence? A correspondence is an item or symbol that is meant to connect you to a specific energy thru it’s representation. It is seen also as an item to respect, honor, and venerate that energy as well whether it be a deity, an archetype energy , or the energy of celebration/ holiday. Below is a list you can use
- The color white, which symbolizes the milk with which they would soak the wool is before wiping the blood from their heads. It also symbolizes new life and protection.
- the color red, which symbolizes the blood of the ritual sacrifice of the goat and the dog.
- Phallic symbols- these can include athames and wands.
- Wolf images or goat images
Correspondences for Valentine’s Day
- Symbols- Hearts, doves, birds, cupid
- deities- Venus, Aphrodite, Eros, Dionysus, bachas, any deity of love, fertility and sex
- herb/flowers- roses, lavender, basil, cinnamon
- colors- pink, red, white
- crystals/stones- rose quartz, garnet, ruby, green aventurine, red jasper, rhodochrosite
- tools- candles
- foods- strawberries, avocado, cherry, chocolate
How to celebrate Lupercalia
Cleansing & Purging
Lupercalia is in the month of February, and it was also called dies Februatus by the ancient Romans. Februatus translates to “purge”. Therefore, if you don’t want to celebrate the pagan Valentine’s Day with love-making and feasting, make it a day of cleansing and purging. Get rid of what no longer serves you in the physical. Including clutter in your space (think junky closets, pantries, fridge, etc.) and then cleanse the negative vibrations via smoke-cleansing.
In addition, purging yourself of negative thoughts and habits and cleansing your aura via a hot ritual bath.
Feast on the Pagan Valentine’s Day!
Whether you have a love interest or not, Lupercalia is about celebrating what we have on this earthly plane. It’s the perfect day to throw a feast! Choose foods that are traditional Roman or Italian, red sauces, wine, and other red foods. Aphrodisiacs are appropriate if you are getting romantic with the meal including strawberries, oysters, chocolate, and dairy.
Drink Wine
The Romans were all about their wine. If you want to do Lupercalia right, you gotta drink the wine, folks! Red is best to represent love and passion. Be sure to make a toast to the ancient Romans and a fertile life before drinking the wine. Clink your glasses together to scare off the bad spirits lurking in the wine. Setting up an altar for the god of wine Dionysus or Bacchus is also appropriate.
Fertility Rituals
Trying to conceive? Or maybe you have no desire for a baby at all. Either way, fertility isn’t just about conceiving children. It also relates to prosperity and growth of nearly any other goal in life: career success, your passions like art, etc. Lupercalia is a powerful day to do fertility spells and rituals of any kind!
Wear Red and White as a rebellion to Valentine’s day
Instead of wearing red and white to connect to valentines day you can wear it to connect to Lupercalia. You were red to represent the blood of sacrifice and the white of milk of the she wolf and goddess Rumina.
Creative Endeavors on Lupercalia
Since Lupercalia is a fertile time, creativity is given a boost in different aspects. Have you been waiting for the right time to start a new project? To learn a new skill? Engage in some sort of arts and crafts to celebrate Lupercalia and the inspiration will not flow short and especially this year with the Aquarius moon and entering the year of the wood dragon in the Chinese zodiac this time is teeming with creative energy!
Have sex!
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. OR when it’s Lupercalia, do as the Romans do. And have sex! You can even add some sex and lust magic to spice it up a bit!
How to celebrate Valentines day
Share a meal with your loved ones. Valentine’s day is about connection to others whether it be romantic love, or your family. So, take this time to connect with them through a delicious meal and you can make sure to have fruits like strawberries, passion fruit, cherries and more to connect to the energy of love.
Create a self love altar or do a self love ritual. Valentine’s day is all about the energy of love and connection and that doesn’t have to be to anyone else that can be all about yourself and increasing your love of self. You can use this as a reminder that you are worthy of love, worth celebrating, and create a sacred space to connect to yourself.
Do a beauty or glamor ritual. This type of magic can help you feel more desirable, have a higher level of self confidence, and turn up your sexual passion with heightened self esteem and valentines day is a perfect time to cast this with the heightened connection to Aphrodite who is great to use during these type of workings
Love spells to attract or enhance your love life. Since, Valentine’s is all about love, romance, and connection why not use this time to cast a love spell or do any type of love spell work like a spell jar or honey jar? This time will enhance any of these type of spells whether you are looking to attract to new love to your life or rekindle it in your current relationship.
Work with Deities Aphrodite or Venus. With Valentine’s day being all about love and romance what better deities to work with on all fronts whether its self love or with a partner than Aphrodite and venus? These two are known for beauty, love, fertility and more. You can connect to them through any attracting love spells, beauty spells, work with your partner, and adding offerings to them to your altar during this time.
Use sex magic to enhance your life or manifestation work. Valentines is a great time to do sex magic with yourself or your partner. What are sex magic spells and lust spells? Sex spells are magical rituals ready to help you boost your sex life, creating a unique luxurious burning desire between you and your partner. These spells and rituals are a great tool if you feel any lack of confidence, any distance between you and your loved one but, most of all, to have the best sex of your life! They are also a great tool for manifestation but, I feel for this holiday focus on the fun this magic can add to your life!
If you want to learn more about sex magic and lust magic check out the resource section of the site here for my study guide on two classes ( 4 hours total) I have already taught on this topic and keep an eye out for some blog posts to come! Sex magic is my jam and I have a lot I can teach on this topic
Lupercalia/ Valentines day Spell
Celebrate the season of love with a simple and effective Lupercalia or Valentine’s Day love spell! This spell is designed to help you attract, give thanks for, and honor your current and potential loves. Whether you’re looking for a spark in an existing relationship, or wanting to draw new love into your life, this ancient ritual will infuse all forms of attraction with passion and romance.
Whether you are single or in a committed relationship, this is the perfect opportunity to manifest more love into your life. A little bit of magic can take us far – so why not cast this pleasant celebratory spell? You might just see some amazing results!
Materials
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Damiana
- Rose petals
- Honey
- Empty jar
- Rose quartz
- Amethyst
- Fire safe bowl
- Red candle
- Mirror
- Piece of paper
- Red ink pen
Instructions
- Light the red candle and place it near the fire safe bowl.
- Take the cinnamon, ginger, damiana, and rose petals and mix them in the bowl.
- Hold the ingredients in your hands and feel the energy flowing through you. Visualize yourself surrounded by love and positivity.
- Light the ingredients with the candle flame, and while they’re burning, write down your love intentions on the piece of paper with the red ink pen.
- Take the jar and add the burning ingredients and honey to it.
- Place the rose quartz and amethyst into the jar and seal it with the lid.
- Hold the jar in front of the mirror and say the following incantation with conviction: “By the power of love and the energies of Lupercalia, I call upon the universe to bring love and positivity into my life.”
- Put the jar in a safe place and let the spell work its magic.
Whether you choose to celebrate Valentine’s day or Lupercalia or even both just remember these holidays are all about fertility, purification, sex, and love. So, take the time to connect to those however fits into your path and don’t forget to have fun with it and enjoy it!
If you want more ideas on how to incorporate these two holidays into your practice don’t forget to check you my facebook page, instagram, and pinterest for more ideas! Find me by searching modgepodgemystic.com!
