Lupercalia - Purification Ritual
- Angela Jeanne Rose Heart
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
The exact origins of Lupercalia are unknown, but the festival has been traced back as far as the 6th century B.C. perhaps overlapping Valentines day.
Lupercalia, also called Lupercal, was an ancient Roman pastoral festival observed each year on February 15. The celebration focused on purification of the city and was believed to promote health, fertility, and renewal. Lupercalia was also referred to as dies Februatus, named after the purification tools known as februa, from which the month of February (Februarius) derives its name.
The festival was originally known as Februa, meaning “purifications” or “purgings,” named after the februum, a tool used in purification rites on that day. It was also called Februatus and gave rise to several related names and associations, including the epithet of Juno Februalis, Februlis, or Februata in her role as the patron deity of the month. The name was also connected to a purification deity known as Februus, as well as to the month of February (mensis Februarius), during which the festival took place. The Roman poet Ovid linked the term februare to an Etruscan word meaning “to purge.”
The Romans associated Lupercalia with a number of deities, including Lupercus, Faunus, Inuus, Februus, and, more often than any Roman god, Pan, also known as Pan Lycaeus.
Observances: The festival included sacrifices of goats and a dog (seen as sacred in ancient Rome) performed by the Luperci, as well as the offering of cakes by the Vestal Virgins. A fertility ritual also took place, in which the Luperci, clad in goatskins, would gently strike women who wished to conceive, symbolizing the promotion of fertility and blessing.
Lupercalia was an ancient 'pagan' festival celebrated annually in Rome on February 15. While Valentine’s Day is named for a Christian martyr, some historians suggest that it may have roots in Lupercalia.
Lupercalia is seen as a raucous with violent celebration, featuring animal sacrifices, ritualized fertility rites, and pairing of couples, all intended to ward off evil and promote health and fertility.
The rites were held in three key locations closely tied to Rome’s foundation myth: the Lupercal cave, the Palatine Hill, and the Forum. Near the cave stood a sanctuary dedicated to Rumina, the goddess of breastfeeding, as well as the wild fig tree (Ficus Ruminalis) where Romulus and Remus were said to have been brought by the divine intervention of the river god Tiberinus. Some Roman sources refer to this tree as caprificus, or “goat fig.” Like cultivated fig trees, its fruit hangs pendulously, and its sap is milky when cut, making it a fitting symbol for a cult associated with nurturing and breastfeeding.
The temple of Rumina stood near the Ficus Ruminalis, the fig tree at the foot of the Palatine Hill where Romulus and Remus were said to have been nurtured by a she-wolf. Offerings at the temple consisted of milk rather than the usual wine. In AD 58, the tree began to die, an event that was seen as a portent of misfortune.
As part of the festival, salted mealcakes prepared by the Vestal Virgins were also offered. The Vestals were a powerful and influential priestesshood. The Vestal Virgins served as the priestesses of Vesta in ancient Rome. Mola salsa, or salted cakes, were prepared by the Vestal Virgins using the first grain of the harvest.
These cakes were offered not only during Lupercalia but also at the Vestalia and on the Ides of September. This ritual is primarily associated with the practices of the Vestal Virgins rather than Lupercalia itself, and a full explanation would require a broader discussion of the cult of Vesta.
Through the preparation and distribution of mola salsa, the Vestal Virgins influenced, authorized, and, when not present in person, symbolically participated in every sacrifice made to Vesta. In this way, the Vestals shaped Roman religion both spatially and through the calendar. The mola, drawn from the sacred hearth of Vesta, infused each sacrificial fire with Vestal and collective Roman qualities, connecting every ritual to the public hearth at the heart of Rome.
In ancient Rome, the Vestal Virgins, or Vestals (Latin: Vestālēs, singular Vestālis), were priestesses of Vesta, the virgin goddess who presided over Rome’s sacred hearth and eternal flame.
In 382 AD, the Christian emperor Gratian seized the public funds that had supported the cult of Vesta in Rome. Shortly thereafter, the Vestal Virgins disappear from the historical record.
Lupercalia was known as “The Purification.” Its name is similar to the Greek festival Lycaea, suggesting that it may have originated with the Arcadian settlers who followed Evander to Italy, making it a very old and historically significant celebration.
In ancient thought, fertility was closely linked to purification, for it was believed that removing evil influences allowed the life-giving forces to become active.
Lupercalia was believed to ward off all manner of misfortune, including pestilence, infertility, famine, war, drought, hail, and storms. Pope Gelasius repeatedly admonished people for attributing such disasters to the suspension of the festival. These interpretations, whether Greek or Roman, reflect a common idea: the apotropaic rites of Lupercalia - intended to repel or neutralize evil - served to release and activate all benevolent forces.
Lupercalia likely originated even before the Romans established themselves on the Palatine Hill and continued to be celebrated until 395 A.D., when it was abolished by an edict of Pope Gelasius.
In many ways, it reflected the essence of the Roman religious experience. At the state level, in the sacra publica (public rituals), the mola salsa prepared by the Vestal Virgins was used alongside animal sacrifices, a central element of Roman ceremonial practice.
Pope Gelasius I, who reigned from 492 to 496 AD, lived roughly a century after the Vestal cult had been abolished. He is remembered for his efforts to suppress the lingering influence of pagan practices, including Lupercalia.
Roman Emperor Theodosius I issued a series of edicts against pagan worship, culminating in 394 AD with the order to extinguish the sacred flame of Vesta permanently. This action marked the official end of the Vestal Virgins as a state institution.
Emperor Theodosius I, also known as Theodosius the Great, ruled the entire Roman Empire before its final division. Born in Roman Spain to a Roman family, he is best known for establishing Nicene Christianity as the official state religion.
The last known Chief Vestal (Vestalis Maxima) was Coelia Concordia, recorded in 385 AD.
*Stunning article by Debra May McCloud: https://allthingsvesta.com/coeliaconcordia
Also read: https://www.history.com/articles/lupercalia
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