Lupercalia is an ancient Roman festival that often gets overlooked at this time of year. Its rituals were focused on the Lupercal, a sacred cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill where, according to legend, Romulus, the founder of Rome, and his twin brother Remus were raised by a wolf. On February 15, priests of the city would gather at the cave and slaughter two goats and a dog at the mouth of the cave, and offer them as sacrifice. The reasons for this are not entirely known, but it is believed to have been an offering to Faunus, god of the woodlands, and very similar to the Greek Pan, to protect the shepherds flocks from hungry wolves, who were known to come down from the surrounding mountains in search of winter sustenance.
The priests would then take two young boys of noble descent and give them strips of goatskin, called februa, based on the Latin word for "purification" (from which the name February originates). The boys would run through the city, lashing the februa about them in order to strike anyone who was near. It was believed that being struck by the februa would ensure fertility for women and virility for men, so huge crowds would gather along the festival route in hopes of being struck.
The evening prior to the celebration, young Roman men would draw the names of young women as partners for the festivities. The festival itself was banned by Pope Gelasius I in 494 and converted into the Feast of Purification of the Virgin Mary, but the custom of choosing romantic partners on this date survived, eventually becoming the celebration of Valentine's Day.
While the feasts and merriment of Lupercalia may have disappeared, you can still travel to Rome and see the remains of the ancient civilization which once honored the turning of the wheel of the year much as modern day Wiccans do. February is the off season in Rome, and a perfect time to visit if you want to avoid the tourist madness that begins just before Easter and continues throughout the summer season.
While Rome is honored as the center of Catholicism worldwide, it is steeped in pagan traditions, and their influence may be found throughout the city. Part of the Palatino remains near the hub of modern day Rome, the Piazza Venezia, and right next to the famous Colosseum.
Among these monuments you will find the Lupercal, the stone sanctuary believed to mark where the sacred wolf cave once stood, and the Capanna di Romolo, or Hut of Romulus, the remnants of an Iron Age hut. In this area, around the ruins of the Roman Forum, you can trace part of the route of the februa lashings along the Via Sacra, or Sacred Way, Rome's most ancient street. Nearby, to the northwest of the Forum, a monument to the she-wolf who raised Romulus and Remus stands in the Palazzo dei Conservatori, across from the Piazza del Campidoglio. And farther to the north, on the banks of the river Tevere which winds through the city, stands the Ara Pacis Augustae, or Altar to Peace. Here, on the upper level, you will find numerous bas-reliefs of historical characters and the ancient gods, including a scene depicting the Lupercalia itself.
You may not be able to travel all the way to Rome, but you can still celebrate the Lupercalia right here in the Pacific Northwest. Why not have a Bacchanalian feast at a fine Italian restaurant? One of the best in the area is Italia, in Seattle on Western Avenue where you can enjoy reasonably priced Italian specialties in an art gallery setting. Art talks are given on the second Thursday of each month. Or try the rustic trattoria ambiance of Cafe Lago, in the Montlake section of Seattle. Here you can take away the chill of winter days by the flaming brick oven and enjoy their homemade pastas and goat cheese pizzas. Perhaps you'd like to honor the origins of Lupercalia by running with the wolves. You could head for the tame environs of Woodland Park Zoo, but even better is the outdoor glory of Northwest Trek, south of Puyallup. Here, the wolves run free while the humans ride in trams through 600 acres of Northwest wildlife. Along with wolves you'll see caribou, mink and buffalo. The attraction is open daily from February to October, and weekends in November, December and January. Farther south yet but even closer still to the wolves is Wolf Haven, where you may sit around a campfire and howl with the wolves who make their home there.
For those who wish to explore Lupercalia on-line, there actually is a web page with a brief history located at miso.wwa.com/~jase/lupercalia/history.html. You may also want to try an on-line exploration of Rome, and there are loads of websites for this purpose. Of these many options, my personal favorites are I Love Rome at www.alfanet.it/welcomeItaly/roma/default.html or the ever informative Lonely Planet guide at www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/eur/rom.html. Lonely Planet in particular has great information off the beaten track and beautiful photo images. Happy traveling!
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