Valentine’s Day: The Past Was Worse

Believe it or not, St. Valentine’s Day is my day. Hearts and chocolate and kissing… that’s me! Suki means loveable, after all. (Japanese do not have the verb love the way the Westerners do.)

But what in the world does that have to do with a Roman Catholic Saint?

Starting as a Roman Feast of Lupercalia–you know, back in Roman times–February 14/15 was a fertility festival, which took a few different forms. In some areas, young men dressed wearing freshly cut goat skins would gad about and spank women with small whips. Women weren’t running, either–it was considered good fertility luck to get spanked with this mini-whip by a young man in a bloody goat skin.

Romans sure were kinky! The Luper (meaning wolf) part of this has to do with Rome being founded by twins named Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a wolf. Wolf-mother–fertility, get it?

Another Lupercalian fertility ceremony was the maiden lottery, in which young women would put their names in to be chosen by men and become their sexual partners for the duration of the festival, and sometimes for the year. This was extremely popular with Roman soldiers (wonder why?) and the custom was taken with them to the rest of Europe. This is another reason I try to remain in serious relationships.
Of course, (yawn) Roman Catholicism came into power, and had to take away all the fun. They made February 14th St. Valentine’s Feast Day. St. V. was put to death for performing marriages. And our Valentines are vestiges of  the lottery.

I am just glad the bloody goat skin didn’t survive to modern day. It would mess up my dress.