The pagan festival of Lupercalia was an ancient Roman celebration held from February 13th to 15th. It was dedicated to the god Lupercus, who was associated with shepherds and fertility. The festival held great religious and cultural significance for the Romans. During Lupercalia, priests known as Luperci would gather at the sacred cave of Lupercal on the Palatine Hill. They would sacrifice goats and a dog, symbolizing purification and fertility. The goat's hide would then be cut into strips, which the Luperci would wear as loincloths.
One of the most common accusations leveled against me by my favorite Twitter atheist, whom I only know by the pseudonym “Thomas Doubtmoore”, is that I am not qualified to determine the veracity of my own faith. Mr. Doubtmoore has sent me several dozen tweets in which he points to the history of religion and pagan mythology that predates Jesus by millennia as the true source of the Christian faith, claiming mankind made it all up. To wit:
Stephen Miller is a visual arts and theology scholar who has been fascinated with researching this subject since studying for his Master s degree in Christianity and the Arts at King s College London in association with the National Gallery, London. Most analyses of the origin of the word Easter agree that it was named after Eostre, an ancient word meaning spring , though many European languages use one form or another of the Latin name for Easter, Pascha, which is derived from the Hebrew Pesach, meaning Passover.
The goat's hide would then be cut into strips, which the Luperci would wear as loincloths. The festival involved various rituals and traditions. One of the most well-known practices was the running of the Luperci.
The Green Man in Medieval England: Christian Shoots from Pagan Roots
This beautifully illustrated landmark book (with more than five dozen specially commissioned original colour photographs) compellingly connects the Green Man phenomenon in medieval England to a specific Christian meaning and understanding rather than a mysterious and undefined pagan one. The meaning and significance attached to such Green Man depictions would have been apparent to almost all churchgoing medieval folk, from the patrons who commissioned them and the stonemasons and woodcarvers who created them, to the monks, clergy and worshipping community well-versed in biblical stories and associated Christian lore and legend that helped to flesh out and illuminate Scripture—stories and legends long-since forgotten by the majority today. The visual narrative contained in the art and craft of medieval churches brought such stories to life in a meaningful way for everyone, the literate and illiterate alike.
Drawing on a wealth of extant examples, the book connects Green Man iconography with the Christian legends and hagiographies of Adam, the Garden of Eden, the Quest of Seth, and the various legends of the cross, contained in such medieval writings as Jacobus Voragine’s, The Golden Legend and Honorius of Autun’s Imago mundi. The author has visited a large sample of medieval cathedrals and parish churches throughout the length and breadth of England in his search of such illustrative evidence and offers a selection of those findings and conclusions here.
Stephen Miller is a visual arts and theology scholar who has been fascinated with researching this subject since studying for his Master’s degree in Christianity and the Arts at King’s College London (in association with the National Gallery, London). He has contributed to a number of academic journals, and is the author of the books, The Word Made Visible in the Painted Image (2016) and The Book of Angels: Seen and Unseen (2019). His research interests focus on the theology of images.
“Stephen Miller, a visual-arts and theology scholar, has presented the evidence that the Green Man is traceable to apocryphal Christian (and Jewish) texts about the Garden of Eden, hagiographies pertaining to Adam, legends about the making of Christ’s cross, and such medieval texts as The Golden Legend of Jacobus de Voragine and the Imago Mundi of Honorius of Autun. Along with his careful research into the meaning of the motif, he has provided a sort of guidebook to a selection of locations around Britain where the many versions of the image can be seen. Perhaps most stunning of all are the 69 colour plates that provide the centrepiece of this attractive volume, the photographic work of his daughter, Lucy Alexandra Miller.”
Addison Hodges Hart
The Church Times, 21 October, 2022
“While Miller makes a strong case for his understanding of the Green Man, he also recognizes how the importation of this established Christian motif into England with the Norman conquest would have been received and appreciated within a new culture where a variety of Celtic and Norse pagan figures and images remained and would have influenced the stonemasons and woodcarvers who copied this image into so many new churches. Miller considers a wonderful range of previous scholarship and allows for some of the typical Christian appreciation of pagan stories and characters in the reception of the Green Man within the English context. In one of many delightful details, Miller explores connections with Tolkien’s work, giving particular attention to Tom Bombadil (53-54). [. ] Most inspiring to me was Miller’s obvious appreciation for the wonders of the “medieval Christian legend-making mind at work” (45).”
Jesse Hake
Easter is a festival and holiday celebrated by millions of people around the world who honor the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred three days after his crucifixion at Calvary. It is also the day that children excitedly wait for the Easter bunny to arrive and deliver their treats of chocolate eggs.
These priests, clad only in the goat-hide loincloths, would run through the streets of Rome, striking people along the way with thongs made from goat skin. It was believed that these lashes would purify and protect individuals from evil spirits and infertility. Another important aspect of Lupercalia was the matchmaking lottery. Young women would place their names in a box, and eligible bachelors would draw these names to determine their partners for the duration of the festival. Often, couples would end up getting married, as this was seen as a favorable outcome. Lupercalia also had a strong emphasis on fertility and procreation. It was believed that the festival played a crucial role in ensuring the prosperity of crops and the continuation of the Roman population. As a result, Lupercalia became a time when couples would engage in sexual rituals and participate in various fertility rites. Over time, with the rise of Christianity, the pagan festival of Lupercalia lost its popularity and was eventually outlawed. However, some elements of the festival, such as the matchmaking and fertility customs, were incorporated into the Christian celebration of St. Valentine's Day, which is observed on February 14th. In conclusion, the pagan festival of Lupercalia was an important and vibrant celebration in ancient Rome. It played a significant role in the Roman culture, with its rituals and traditions centered around fertility, purification, and matchmaking. Although no longer practiced today, the influence of Lupercalia can still be seen in modern-day celebrations such as Valentine's Day..
Reviews for "Unearthing the Connection Between Lupercalia and Valentine's Day"
1. John - 2/5 stars - I was really looking forward to "Pagan feast of Lupercalia" but was left disappointed. The plot was highly predictable and lacked any depth or originality. The characters felt one-dimensional and unrelatable, making it difficult to become emotionally invested in the story. Additionally, the writing style was quite amateurish, with choppy dialogue and awkwardly constructed sentences. Overall, I found it to be a mediocre read that didn't live up to my expectations.
2. Sarah - 1/5 stars - "Pagan feast of Lupercalia" was an absolute disaster in my opinion. The plot was convoluted and messy, with too many unnecessary subplots that added nothing to the overall story. The pacing was all over the place, making it difficult to stay engaged. Moreover, the writing was terribly repetitive, with the author constantly hammering the same points over and over again, which became incredibly tiresome. I found myself counting down the pages until I could finally finish this lackluster book.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - While I appreciate the effort put into "Pagan feast of Lupercalia," it fell flat for me. The world-building was underdeveloped and lacking in detail, leaving me struggling to grasp the story's setting. The characters also felt cliché and unoriginal, with their actions often contradicting their supposed personalities. Additionally, the dialogue felt stilted and unnatural, making it difficult to connect with the characters. Overall, I believe this book had potential, but it fell short in execution, leaving me unsatisfied and disappointed.