A brief history of Valentine's Day

Come back with me to ancient Rome, and the festivals that honored Juno - wife of the great Jupiter, possibly better known to you by their Greek names, Zeus and Hera.

Juno is the goddess of childbirth and marriage. February is a month of endings and beginnings, of the quickening of imminent spring and the falling away of winter, of the time when the land begins to warm and animals begin their search for a mate. (Must keep in mind that this is in the Italian climate, for those of us northern-dwellers who are well aware winter has not yet lost its grip.) Tradition has it that the feast of Juno Februara, held on February 14, had single women place their names into boxes where they were drawn by a man, and the couple would spend the day together.

Lupercalia, a fertility festival, was held from February 13-15, and is fairly bizarre even by Roman standards. Its purpose was to cleanse the city of evil spirits and promote fertility. It was in honor of the Lupa, the she-wolf that suckled the twins Romulus and Remus who are the legendary founders of Rome. It was celebrated near the Cave of the Lupercal on the Palatine hill, where the city was founded. The rite itself, described by Plutarch, is one of those scenes that makes me want to time-travel to the ancient world:

Lupercalia, of which many write that it was anciently celebrated by shepherds, and has also some connection with the Arcadian Lycaea. [Note: Arcadia is a region in central Greece; 'lykos' is Greek for 'wolf.'] At this time many of the noble youths and of the magistrates run up and down through the city naked, for sport and laughter striking those they meet with shaggy thongs. And many women of rank also purposely get in their way, and like children at school present their hands to be struck, believing that the pregnant will thus be helped in delivery, and the barren to pregnancy.

So, ladies, today while you're smelling your roses - the news has just informed me that this day is a multi-billion-dollar industry what with flowers, chocolate and gifts - think of a simpler time, where well-bred boys ran naked through the streets and you hoped to be struck with fertility by the flayed skin of a sacrificed goat. 

Of course the modern holiday gets its name from St Valentine, who may or may not have existed, but the story goes like this: in the Middle Ages, a priest named Valentine was secretly marrying young men who didn't want to go to war - married men were at that time exempt from the 'draft' if they were married - and when the lords discovered what he was doing, had him thrown into prison. While awaiting his inevitable beheading for treason, he reportedly fell in love with a servant girl, with whom he exchanged anonymous notes - the reason we give anonymous Valentine's cards today.

Love is a magical thing. It both inspires us and fills us with despair; it has been a driving force behind human actions since the beginning of our species. When I was a little girl, my mother gave me this piece of wisdom: love is not an emotion, it is an action. It requires us to do, not just to feel. As the song goes, love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night. To change our way of caring about ourselves. 

May you have a day full of love, and feel inspired to tell those you love that you care. As for me, I have a date - a first date - and I am daring to be excited. Because love is all about possibility.