Societas Via Romana - Discussion Archives

Salvete Amici,

As I have already posted it at the Roman Outpost I just came across a short article which states that February 14th used to be the day on which one used to honor the Goddess Juno, the Goddess for matrimony and family. And the Romans used to give each other flowers on this ancient holiday.

Sometime in the 4th century this Pagan holiday turned into the Christian one. The legend says that bishop Valentin of Terni wedded - against the Roman law - secretely Christian couples. For this he died the martyr death on February 14th.

I would like to know how much of this is true and I hope that those among us who know more about the Religio Romana than I do could tell me more about this. Thanks.

Salve

I thought Valentine day originally was a festival for Lupercus? I remember reading something about it a while back, but I can't remember it.

vale

Quintus

Avete amici,

I guess I'll crosspost my Outpost reply-post!

Avete omnes!

I believe the month of February is sacred to Juno. The St. Valentine story sounds about like I've always heard it. But more generally, we are heading into the whole Parentalia-Caristia season. Parentalia, for the Ancestor-spirits, runs from the 13th through the 21st; Caristia is the next day, and reserved especially for those living family members who are closest to us. Yes, finally a day in which you don't have to pretend to like people just because they're related! ...So it's not a bad time to be considering the bonds of affection, of many kinds.

> I would like to know how much of this is true. I hope that
> our "experts" on the Religio Romana could tell me more about this.

Me too, especially if I've muffed anything. >({|:-)

In fide,

If I'm not mistaken, Lupercalia was acutally on the fifteeneth of February, or fifteen days before the Martial Kalends.

I also found this

Ave Scerio,

Many thanks for this very interesting link. It seems to be very accurate, but I stumbles over one thing. It says:

"February occured later on the ancient Roman calendar than it does today so Lupercalia was held in the spring and regarded as a festival of purification and fertility"

I heard that the months and the season got mixed up during the civil wars of the late Republic when the consuls didn't bother adjusting the calendar by those extra days. Therefore the months got shifted to the "wrong" seasons.

A fertility festival or spring festival could be held in February, the Celts did that on Feb. 1st with Imbolc (aka Candlemas) because now in February one sees it actually that the days grew longer after the winter solstice on Deb. 21st.

Salvete

In a local newspaper that is only released on sundays, there was an article on Valentine's day and the origines of it. One of the things that startled me was that Lupercus was being refered to as a demongod.
I guess who ever wrote that article is certainly biased.
valete

Quintus

No, he wrote "demongod"
Appearently there are still Belgians who think that the Gods of Rome and Greece are demons.
vale

Quintus

What? Belgium? What a backwards country. I'm glad I live in...oh wait... nevermind.

vale

Well apearently idiocy rans rampant these days and it can be considered a epidemic of global proportions as it can be found everywere in the world.

Quintus