Uploaded February 2022 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Before there were Valentine's Day chocolates and roses, there were ancient Roman goat sacrifices and naked men running around with whips! Let's learn about the Lupercalia and how it relates to this Hallmark Holiday.
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What's the history of Valentine's Day? Does Valentine's Day have a pagan origin?
Lupercalia is one of the most ancient Roman festivals which was held every year between the 13th and 15th of February. It was a pastoral festival observed to purify the city and promote health and fertility. The Lupercalia may be the longest-lasting of the Roman pagan festivals, with it possibly starting at the time of the founding of Rome (traditionally 753 B.C.) or even before and ending about 1200 years later, at the end of the 5th century A.D., at least in the West, although it continued in the East for another few centuries.
The festival itself may actually be a more ancient import, coming from Greek Arcadia and honouring Lycaean Pan, which is the equivalent to the Roman Inuus or Faunus. Lycaean is a word connected with the Greek for 'wolf' as seen in the term lycanthropy for 'werewolf'…. So there may be a possible connection here. There’s also the Roman writer Justin who describes a cult image of the “Lycean God, who the Greeks call Pan and the Romans Lupercus”, as nude except for a goatskin girdle… bold fashion choice, I love it. But… despite Justin’s writing, no deity named Lupercus has ever been identified, so that’s a fun little mystery.
SOURCES
• Green, William M. (January 1931). "The Lupercalia in the Fifth Century". Classical Philology. 26 (1): 60–69. doi:10.1086/361308. S2CID 161431650. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
• "Caesar at the Lupercalia," by J. A. North; The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 98 (2008), pp. 144-160.
• "An Enigmatic Function of the Flamen Dialis (Ovid, Fast., 2.282) and the Augustan Reform," by A. W. J. Holleman. Numen, Vol. 20, Fasc. 3. (Dec., 1973), pp. 222-228.
• "The God of the Lupercal," by T. P. Wiseman. The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 85. (1995), pp. 1-22.
• "Postscript to the Lupercalia: From Caesar to Andromachus," by J. A. North and Neil McLynn; The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 98 (2008), pp. 176-181.
• "Some Notes on the Lupercalia," by E. Sachs. The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 84, No. 3. (Jul., 1963), pp. 266-279.
• "The Topography and Interpretation of the Lupercalia," by Agnes Kirsopp Michels. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 84. (1953), pp. 35-59.
• "The Lupercalia in the Fifth Century," by William M. Green. Classical Philology, Vol. 26, No. 1. (Jan., 1931), pp. 60-69
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Before there were Valentine's Day chocolates and roses, there were ancient Roman goat sacrifices and naked men running around with whips! Let's learn about the Lupercalia and how it relates to this Hallmark Holiday.
🔴 SUBSCRIBE TO NEVER MISS A VIDEO
youtube.com/c/digitwithraven?sub_confirmation=1
🔴 SUPPORT DIG IT WITH RAVEN
Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/digitwithraven
Support on PayPal: paypal.me/digitwithraven?locale.x=en_US
Support on Patreon: patreon.com/digitwithraven
WATCH NEXT
○ ANCIENT BIRTH CONTROL - Contraception in Ancient History - youtu.be/tBPdojoZkfE
✅ Let's connect!
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/digitwithraven
TWITTER: twitter.com/digitwithraven
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/digitwithraven
What's the history of Valentine's Day? Does Valentine's Day have a pagan origin?
Lupercalia is one of the most ancient Roman festivals which was held every year between the 13th and 15th of February. It was a pastoral festival observed to purify the city and promote health and fertility. The Lupercalia may be the longest-lasting of the Roman pagan festivals, with it possibly starting at the time of the founding of Rome (traditionally 753 B.C.) or even before and ending about 1200 years later, at the end of the 5th century A.D., at least in the West, although it continued in the East for another few centuries.
The festival itself may actually be a more ancient import, coming from Greek Arcadia and honouring Lycaean Pan, which is the equivalent to the Roman Inuus or Faunus. Lycaean is a word connected with the Greek for 'wolf' as seen in the term lycanthropy for 'werewolf'…. So there may be a possible connection here. There’s also the Roman writer Justin who describes a cult image of the “Lycean God, who the Greeks call Pan and the Romans Lupercus”, as nude except for a goatskin girdle… bold fashion choice, I love it. But… despite Justin’s writing, no deity named Lupercus has ever been identified, so that’s a fun little mystery.
SOURCES
• Green, William M. (January 1931). "The Lupercalia in the Fifth Century". Classical Philology. 26 (1): 60–69. doi:10.1086/361308. S2CID 161431650. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
• "Caesar at the Lupercalia," by J. A. North; The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 98 (2008), pp. 144-160.
• "An Enigmatic Function of the Flamen Dialis (Ovid, Fast., 2.282) and the Augustan Reform," by A. W. J. Holleman. Numen, Vol. 20, Fasc. 3. (Dec., 1973), pp. 222-228.
• "The God of the Lupercal," by T. P. Wiseman. The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 85. (1995), pp. 1-22.
• "Postscript to the Lupercalia: From Caesar to Andromachus," by J. A. North and Neil McLynn; The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 98 (2008), pp. 176-181.
• "Some Notes on the Lupercalia," by E. Sachs. The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 84, No. 3. (Jul., 1963), pp. 266-279.
• "The Topography and Interpretation of the Lupercalia," by Agnes Kirsopp Michels. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association, Vol. 84. (1953), pp. 35-59.
• "The Lupercalia in the Fifth Century," by William M. Green. Classical Philology, Vol. 26, No. 1. (Jan., 1931), pp. 60-69
MY GEAR
○ Zoom H4N Pro audio recorder amzn.to/35SGJIe
○ Microphone amzn.to/3clFIuR
○ Teleprompter amzn.to/35QX1RW
○ Lighting amzn.to/35QIW7j
○ Camera: My phone!
**************
My top archaeology 101 book
amzn.to/2EcgVtQ
**************
Full disclaimer because I love you all. Some of these links are affiliate. If you purchase anything from these links I may earn a small commission. This really helps in supporting the channel, as I do not earn anything from these videos. I am not promoting anything that I do not 100% recommend or would not use myself! Thanks so much for your support!
#AncientHistory #Archaeology #NewYearsEve
