I've Been Thinking...
By Black Cloud aka Eris
...about "Valentine's" Day. In fact, such thoughts become impossible to block as we head full speed ahead into hearts, teddy bears and whatnot. This is a holiday that many argue was created by Hallmark, however, I must disagree. While they may have piggy backed on a much older celebration, it goes deeper than anything the minds of Hallmark could create. Others might say it was a holiday created by the Church, again I must disagree. We all know how original they are, i.e., the penchant for stealing pagan holidays and renaming them.... I must give "credit" where credit is due....
ONCE UPON A TIME... Lupercalia, a Roman festival, was all the rage. Apparently in honor of the festival the Luperci priests used to go to a cave where Romulus (namesake of Rome) and Remus were nursed by the goddess she-wolf...long story, anyways, they would get to the cave and after the vestal virgins offered their salt cakes, the priests would kill a goat and a dog (or two). The animals' blood was then smeared on some well-bred boys' foreheads. The knives they used to do the smearing of the blood had wool on them and were soaked in milk (must have smelled lovely). Reportedly, this would set off riotous laughter among the boys (no one knows why– it was just expected I guess). Post anointation of the young studs, the priest began working on cutting the goat's skin into strips. From there all the affluent boys were instructed to run through the street lashing the townsfolk, mostly girls, with the strips to ensure fertility and ease in childbirth. Don't get me wrong all the young Roman dames (nobles at that) would line up in the streets to be a "lucky" recipient of said lashings. In addition, there are accounts of all the barren women being taken out into a field and having stones hurled at them(again for fertility and ease in childbirth), either way it sounds like a "great" time.
At the end of the festival there was the sex-lottery (that's right, the sex lottery). All the young hotties would put their names into and urn and hope they got paired up nicely for the following reasons:
a. they would be having sex with their match,
b. ...that match, would be their partner for the entire year,
c. that they might end up marrying said match, due to custom.
Naturally the Church doesn't dig on sex-lotteries (or anything else that isn't wholesome and pure) so Pope Gelasius came along and arbitrarily declared "Valentine's Day," a day before Lupercalia. There is a theory that this was to overshadow and try to absorb the festival (albeit in a diluted fashion)...another long story.
This got me to thinking, has that much really changed? The "giver" in any relationship usually springs for dinner, chocolates (known heightener of mood and aphrodisiac), alcohol and perhaps flowers and other tokens of love. Valentine's or Valentine's Day cards are typically a part of the package. (Sort of serving as a modern day personalized version of the sex lottery, but rigged so that only the "giver" can win.) Gone is the lottery, but...despite the Christian-ization and the Hallmark-ization of Lupercalia, (i.e., saying it is about innocent selfless love and appreciation of your mate)...face it, you want to get laid. You want to be appreciated for all the gifts you "give," if you don't get it, you will lash out- not with goat skin, but in other ways. You do these things in an effort to "win" the promise of sex and/or favor (or I suppose for the rare demure types– love). Nothing altruistic here, never was. That much has remained the same. After all, lil Eros, i.e., "Cupid" was born out of lust rather than love. Basically what you are left with is a more P.C./sensitive way to go about getting what it is that you want....so good luck getting some "loving" and Happy Lupercalia!
Unknown "Property of VTE" Frisky
- 17 years, 10 months, 22 days ago
