Lupercalia was an ancient pagan festival held annually in Rome on the 15th of February to purify the city, which promoted health and fertility. Although Valentine’s Day shares its name with a Christian saint, some historians believe the holiday is actually an offshoot of Lupercalia. The precise origin of the festival is unknown, although the likely derivation of its name from lupus suggests connection with Lupercus, an ancient deity who protected herds from wolves and the legendary she-wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus. As a fertility rite, the festival is also associated with the god Faunus.
Lupercalia rituals took place in Lupercal cave, Palatine Hill, and the Comitium. The festival began at Lupercal cave with the sacrifice of goats and a dog performed by Luperci, a group of Roman priests. After the ritual, there was a sacrificial feast. In Plutarch’s Life of Julius Caesar, Caesar famously turns down a golden crown offered to him by Mark Antony during Lupercalia. Following the feast, the Luperci cut strips of hide from the sacrificed animals, also called februa, and ran around the Palatine hill, whipping any woman who