World Lore Featurette: Lupercalia

[Charmz 4,348]

 

It may surprise you that I am not just interested in spreading GaGa propaganda via rumours and speculation. 

While most of the world celebrates Valentine's Day today, it's good to look back at our ancient culture and revisit a much darker, gothic celebration on the same day.

 

Lupercalia also known as "Lupercal" was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually from February 13 through 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as dies Februatus, after the purification instruments called februa, the basis for the month named Februarius.

The festival was originally known as Februa ("Purifications" or "Purgings") after the februum which was used on the day.[2] It was also known as Februatus and gave its name variously, as epithet to Juno Februalis, Februlis, or Februata in her role as patron deity of that month; to a supposed purification deity called Februus;[a] and to February (mensis Februarius), the month during which the festival occurred. Ovid connects februare to an Etruscan word for "purging".

The name Lupercalia was believed in antiquity to evince some connection with the Ancient Greek festival of the Arcadian Lykaia, a wolf festival (Greek: λύκος, lýkos; Latin: lupus), and the worship of Lycaean Pan, assumed to be a Greek equivalent to Faunus, as instituted by Evander. Justin describes a cult image of "the Lycaean god, whom the Greeks call Pan and the Romans Lupercus", as nude, save for a goatskin girdle.

 

Lupercalia most likely derives from lupus, "wolf", though both the etymology and its significance are obscure[9] (bronze wolf's head, 1st century AD)

The Lupercalia had its own priesthood, the Luperci ("brothers of the wolf"), whose institution and rites were attributed either to the Arcadian culture-hero Evander, or to Romulus and Remus, erstwhile shepherds who had each established a group of followers. The Luperci were young men (iuvenes), usually between the ages of 20 and 40. They formed two religious collegia (associations) based on ancestry; the Quinctiliani (named after the gens Quinctia) and the Fabiani (named after the gens Fabia). Each college was headed by a magister. 

In 44 BC, a third college, the Juliani, was instituted in honor of Julius Caesar; its first magister was Mark Antony.[12] The college of Juliani disbanded or lapsed following the Assassination of Julius Caesar, and was not re-established in the reforms of his successor, Augustus. In the Imperial era, membership of the two traditional collegia was opened to iuvenes of equestrian status.

Sacrifice

At the Lupercal altar, a male goat (or goats) and a dog were sacrificed by one or another of the Luperci, under the supervision of the Flamen dialis, Jupiter's chief priest.[b] An offering was also made of salted mealcakes, prepared by the Vestal Virgins.[14][failed verification] After the blood sacrifice, two Luperci approached the altar. Their foreheads were anointed with blood from the sacrificial knife, then wiped clean with wool soaked in milk, after which they were expected to laugh.

The sacrificial feast followed, after which the Luperci cut thongs (known as februa) from the flayed skin of the animal,[1] and ran with these, naked or near-naked, along the old Palatine boundary, in an anticlockwise direction around the hill. In Plutarch's description of the Lupercalia, written during the early Roman Empire,

...many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs. And many women of rank also purposely get in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck, believing that the pregnant will thus be helped in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy.

The Luperci completed their circuit of the Palatine, then returned to the Lupercal cave.

 

Links to learn more:

Lupercalia - Wikipedia

Time.com Article on Lupercalia

 

[VTV 13,982]

Too bad postimg images are blocked on my end. Sounds interesting tho

[Grace 354]

i thought this was going to be the patrick wolf album and now i'm disappointed

[Killa 18,847]

Evviva il lupo. First hearing this woof tho

[Charmz 4,348]

15 minutes ago, VTV said:

Too bad postimg images are blocked on my end. Sounds interesting tho

Oh I’m sorry! Why would they be blocked?

[VTV 13,982]

1 hour ago, Charmz said:

Oh I’m sorry! Why would they be blocked?

Idk i think its my ISP