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The only success it had was in changing the name from Lupercalia to
St. Valentine's Day. It was done in CE 496 by Pope Gelasius, in honor of
some Saint Valentine. There are as many as 50 different Valentines in
Christian legends. Two of them are more famous, although their lives and
characters are also shrouded in mystery. According to one legend, and
the one more in line with the true nature of this celebration, St.
Valentine was a "lovers'" saint, who had himself fallen in love with his
jailer's daughter.
http://www.central-mosque.com/fiqh/valentine.htm
An interesting article from a Pagan worshipper (Dr. Leo Ruickbie)
about the origins of St. Valentine's.
St Valentine's Day or
Ancient Pagan Sex Rite?
By Dr Leo Ruickbie, Director of WICA
Pagan Origins of a Popular Christian Festival
As an estimated one billion cards* are exchanged this St Valentine's Day
spare a thought for the ancient Pagan custom that the Catholic Church
has tried to hide from you, for St Valentine's Day is the Eve of
Lupercalia, the Pagan Roman festival of fertility.
Love is a Lottery
In fact, the 14th of February was the day specially set aside for love
lotteries in Pagan Rome. A holiday devoted to Juno, Queen of the Gods,
and patroness of marriage, the 14th was also the day on which young
girls' names were written on slips of paper and thrown into jars to be
picked out by the boys. Chooser and chosen would then be partnered for
the duration of the Lupercalia festival. Such arbitrary pairings often
resulted in lasting relationships. The Catholic Church later substituted
the names of dead saints in place of those of flesh-and-blood girls to
subvert the lusty Pagan practice.
The Lupercalia proper began on the 15th of February with animal
sacrifice and ritual flagellation. After slaughtering a goat and dog in
the sacred grotto of the she-wolf who suckled the legendary founders of
Rome, the young men would run through the streets whipping women and
crops with the flayed hide of the goat to promote fertility.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the Lupercalia, far from being
restricted to Rome, was practiced in other cities in Italy and Gaul.
Dating from remotest antiquity, the Lupercalia was celebrated until
as late as the reign of Anastasius I in 491-518 CE. It was towards the
end of the 5th century in 498 CE that Pope Galesius decided to dedicate
the Eve of Lupercalia to the long-dead priest. The lottery system was
banned as being un-Christian and the Pope did his best to make people
forget about other un-Christian ideas such as fertility.
Mating Season
However, the Pagan principles of the people proved irrepressible.
Memories of the Roman Lupercalia combined with folklore beliefs in
Britain and France that the 14th of February marked the beginning of the
mating season amongst birds to ensure that this day would persist in the
popular imagination as a day of love.
The oldest extant Valentine message is a poem written by Charles,
Duke of Orleans, in 1415 to his wife. He had good reason to write: he
was imprisoned in the Tower of London after being captured at the Battle
of Agincourt. It proved a popular idea and some years later it is
believed that Henry V hired John Lydgate to compose a Valentine missive
to Catherine of Valois.
Despite such early precedents, St Valentine's Day did not become a
widely celebrated event in Britain until the 17th century. Printed cards
did not appear until the late 18th century, but it was not until the
1840's that Esther A. Howland entered the history books as the first
person to sell the first mass-produced Valentine cards in the United
States.
The Magic of Love or Love Magic?
But why send a card and why make it anonymous? Either we believe one of
the Christian legends and accept that we all celebrate the giving of a
love token of 3rd century priest by sending a replica, or look deeper
into the significances of giving and anonymity. The act of giving,
stripped of any moral sentiment, is usually one of status modification,
for example, how many times do you hear people boasting of how they give
to charity? However, in this instance the giver's identity is carefully
concealed. The card itself acts simply as the vehicle of the giver's
desire. The message that accompanies such cards is most often in the
imperative, Be My Valentine, Be My Love, and so on. The structure of
this exchange is remarkably similar to many magical formulae.
Christians Against the Fun
Even the Christians, originally responsible for foisting St Valentine on
this festival, are re-assessing their position. Biblestudy.org, amongst
many others, has come clean and admitted that Valentine's Day has
nothing to do with a long dead saint, and everything to do with our
Pagan heritage.
Of course, they were horrified and immediately wanted to ban it:
It is about time we examined these customs of the pagans now falsely
labeled Christian. It is time we quit this Roman and Babylonian
foolishness - this idolatry - and get back to the faith of Christ
delivered once for all time. Let's stop teaching our children these
pagan customs in memory of Baal the sun god - the original St. Valentine
- and teach them instead what the Bible really says!
So, the next time you ask someone to be your Valentine, try not to
forget that you are engaging in a millennia old fertility rite and, what
is more, dabbling in a little magic to boot.
Further topics to explore: LUPERCALIA.
http://www.witchology.com/contents/february/valentines_static.php |