With respect to the Lupercalia-Valentine’s connection, most scholars would argue that there is absolutely no connection between the two whatsoever. Lupercalia was celebrated from the 13th to the 15th of February. But here’s the thing - Lupercalia was a very local thing; it was held almost _exclusively_ in Rome. There are only scant references to it being held anywhere else. It was not at all a Roman Empire-wide celebration; thus, could not have possibly been the seeding of some sort of “proto-Valentine’s Day” across Europe. Further, there are no historical records of Lupercalia being celebrated more recent than the end of the 5th century. Further, Lupercalia had very little to do with romance. One *presumed* aspect of the festival that seems to prevail in many modern descriptions is the idea that there would have been a matchmaking lottery of sorts, which supposedly featured girls writing their names on paper that would be drawn from a box by boys, and the couples would be paired up. This supposition is often cited as further evidence of the connection between the ancient festival and Valentine’s Day. There is, however, absolutely zero historical records that suggest boys being paired randomly with girls for participation in the ritual. Indeed, most scholars agree that the concept that Lupercalia featured girls writing their names on paper that would be drawn from a box by boys is likely an 18th-century invention that developed from the English custom of doing the same which seems to have originated in the late 1400’s. In short, the custom of choosing one’s Valentine by lot originated in England around the 1400’s, *not* the Roman Lupercalia. The earliest attested historical record of the Lupercalia comes from the 3rd century BCE, while the last record was from the end of the 5th century CE - around the same time Pope Gelasius I made February 14 into a day that would honor the Christian martyr, Saint Valentine. At no point however does Gelasius speak of compromise, or of adapting any pagan customs. Even though they weren’t far apart chronologically, the supposed symbolic overlap between the two took centuries more to develop, as Valentine’s Day hadn’t yet acquired the romantic meaning it has today. That would only come about 1,000 years later. In the early church, the Feast of St. Valentine would have been a solemn celebration; not the holiday it is today. Indeed, it is quite possible that Gelasius was partly responsible for Lupercalia’s decline. Without this ritual of a supposed lottery at the Roman festival, there appears to be little correlation between the Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day. Further, though there is a calendar overlap, there is zero historical evidence to suggest that one was replaced by another. It is vitally important when writing about traditions to remember that there are only 365 days in the year ... calendar overlap, when it occurs, does not equate to any degree of significance; it’s going to happen. Most mainstream historians agree that Valentine’s Day and romance became associated with each other only in the late 14th century. That’s a pretty huge gap between the late 1300’s and the end of Lupercalia in the 400’s. A thousand year gap where nothing resembling Lupercalia or romance and Valentine’s Day is historically recorded. Almost 1,000 years of complete silence - it strains credulity to suggest the two are in any way related. The association between Valentine’s Day and romance It is thought to have arisen specifically because of the popularity of a few Geoffrey Chaucer’s poems, namely, "Parliament of Foules (Fowls)" and “The Complaint of Mars” which both associated Valentine’s Day and romance. At the time of Chaucer's writing, February 14 also happened to be considered the first day of spring in Britain, because it was the beginning of birds' mating season-perfectly appropriate for a celebration of affection. In addition, this was also the time of a concept known as “courtly love” in Europe.
Thank you Oskey for this great video full of history and interesting facts I didn't know. ¡Feliz día del amor y amistad!
Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your support. ¡Feliz día del amor y la amistad para ti también!
Thqnk you oscar! That was so enlightening! Happy valentines day!!
Same to you!
With respect to the Lupercalia-Valentine’s connection, most scholars would argue that there is absolutely no connection between the two whatsoever.
Lupercalia was celebrated from the 13th to the 15th of February. But here’s the thing - Lupercalia was a very local thing; it was held almost _exclusively_ in Rome. There are only scant references to it being held anywhere else. It was not at all a Roman Empire-wide celebration; thus, could not have possibly been the seeding of some sort of “proto-Valentine’s Day” across Europe. Further, there are no historical records of Lupercalia being celebrated more recent than the end of the 5th century. Further, Lupercalia had very little to do with romance.
One *presumed* aspect of the festival that seems to prevail in many modern descriptions is the idea that there would have been a matchmaking lottery of sorts, which supposedly featured girls writing their names on paper that would be drawn from a box by boys, and the couples would be paired up. This supposition is often cited as further evidence of the connection between the ancient festival and Valentine’s Day.
There is, however, absolutely zero historical records that suggest boys being paired randomly with girls for participation in the ritual. Indeed, most scholars agree that the concept that Lupercalia featured girls writing their names on paper that would be drawn from a box by boys is likely an 18th-century invention that developed from the English custom of doing the same which seems to have originated in the late 1400’s.
In short, the custom of choosing one’s Valentine by lot originated in England around the 1400’s, *not* the Roman Lupercalia.
The earliest attested historical record of the Lupercalia comes from the 3rd century BCE, while the last record was from the end of the 5th century CE - around the same time Pope Gelasius I made February 14 into a day that would honor the Christian martyr, Saint Valentine.
At no point however does Gelasius speak of compromise, or of adapting any pagan customs. Even though they weren’t far apart chronologically, the supposed symbolic overlap between the two took centuries more to develop, as Valentine’s Day hadn’t yet acquired the romantic meaning it has today. That would only come about 1,000 years later. In the early church, the Feast of St. Valentine would have been a solemn celebration; not the holiday it is today. Indeed, it is quite possible that Gelasius was partly responsible for Lupercalia’s decline.
Without this ritual of a supposed lottery at the Roman festival, there appears to be little correlation between the Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day. Further, though there is a calendar overlap, there is zero historical evidence to suggest that one was replaced by another. It is vitally important when writing about traditions to remember that there are only 365 days in the year ... calendar overlap, when it occurs, does not equate to any degree of significance; it’s going to happen.
Most mainstream historians agree that Valentine’s Day and romance became associated with each other only in the late 14th century. That’s a pretty huge gap between the late 1300’s and the end of Lupercalia in the 400’s. A thousand year gap where nothing resembling Lupercalia or romance and Valentine’s Day is historically recorded. Almost 1,000 years of complete silence - it strains credulity to suggest the two are in any way related.
The association between Valentine’s Day and romance It is thought to have arisen specifically because of the popularity of a few Geoffrey Chaucer’s poems, namely, "Parliament of Foules (Fowls)" and “The Complaint of Mars” which both associated Valentine’s Day and romance. At the time of Chaucer's writing, February 14 also happened to be considered the first day of spring in Britain, because it was the beginning of birds' mating season-perfectly appropriate for a celebration of affection. In addition, this was also the time of a concept known as “courtly love” in Europe.
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