Many of you throughout the world who are in relationships will have had differing ways of preparing for the 14th February. From the meticulous preparations of some to the panicked realisation that tomorrow is ‘the day’ and the rush to buy roses, chocolates and cards, tomorrow is a day where emotions will be out there. For those of you not in a relationship or who have recently broken up with someone, this could be one of those days where all you want to do is have a ‘duvet day’ where you don’t have to face all of the ‘loved-upness’ of the day. 
Most people only associate this day with one of the Catholic Saints – St. Valentine. There were 3 different St. Valentine but the one that most people associate with this time is the one who was around during Emperor Claudius II time in 3rd Century Rome. According to the story, this Emperor decided that single men were better focussed soldiers than those who were married and with families, thus he banned marriage for young soldiers. St. Valentine allegedly defied him, performed marriages and when he was discovered, he was put to death. There is another tale that whilst incarcerated, St. Valentine fell in love with a young lady and before his death sent her a letter signed “From your Valentine”. 
February in Ancient Rome was a time of cleansing, encouraging fertility and also a time for thinking of your deceased relatives.
On the 13th there was the Festival linked to the Horned God Faunus and the Goddess Fauna, the Faunalia. These two were old gods of the Romans, linked to wolves, the Forest, plains, Fields and Fertility.
From the 13th-15th February Lupercalia was celebrated. This was a festival linked to the worship of the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus the founders of Rome. The priests would gather at the Lupercal which was a cave at the bottom of the Palentine Hill. There a goat was sacrificed and the Lupercii (young men) were anointed on their foreheads with its blood which was then wiped away with milk by other priests. The sacrificed goat was skinned by the Lupercii who then ripped it’s hide to strips and tied these to their wrists. They drank wine copiously and ran around Rome hitting all that they encountered (especially young women) with the goatskin thongs. Young women who had been struck would be viewed as being especially blessed as this encouraged fertility and procreation. Shakespeare refers to this activiy in Act I, Scene II of Julius Caesar, when during the feast Caesar says to Antonius:
Forget not, in your speed, Antonius, to touch Calpurnia; for our elders say, the barren, touched in this holy chase, shake off their sterile curse.
For those of you who are not focussed on love, romance or fertilty during this time, the 13th-22nd of February was the time that the Parentalia, the ‘Dies Manes’ was celebrated. The Festival opened with an offering made by a Vestal Virgin for the collective ‘di parentes’ of Rome at the tomb of Tarpeia.
These were mainly private celebrations linked to Family Ancestors. Ovid describes the offerings to the “shades of the dead” at the family tombs as ranging from flower garlands, wheat, salt, wine soaked bread and violets. This was a time to honour loved ones. All Temples were closed and marriages were forbidden during this time and Magistrates were not allowed to wear clothing that denoted their office. All Romans were expected to give offerings to the Dead at the Necropolis outside the City walls.
Why not take a moment yourself, during this time, to honour your ancestors, think of your loved ones and make this a time not only of love between couples, but also for others who you may love or have loved that have touched your life.
As a final note, the snow here in North London is finally melting. Although with the last Festival we were welcoming the return of Spring, it seemed that there was a final battle with winter with the drop in temperatures and the fall of snow, almost like Hades was asking Persephone, not to leave, not to return to her mother, Demeter and thus halt the turn of the seasons.. But it seems like the wheel is turning again, and more flowers will soon be starting to bloom. As the weather starts warming up, you can look forward to new designs and creations. I have just finished creating a new Stag’s Head, a Celtic Horse and am working on a Dragon which will be created in a selection of colours to reflect the elements.
