Lupercalia festival

Before the holiday became known as Valentine's Day, there was a much older ritual held on the 15th February named Lupercalia Festival in ancient Rome. This was a feast for the wolf deity Lupercus, a god that ruled land, harvest, wild animals and fertility. Farmers sought out the strength and protection of Lupercus and made offerings to him. This god is connected to a she-wolf named Lupa that helped care for the twin boy babies, Romulus and Remus. The brothers were sons of Mars, the god of war, and also Rhea Silvia, a beautiful mortal woman who was a princess and a Vestal Virgin. The brothers grew up to be powerful men who later founded the city of Rome. It was in honour of the founders that the celebration of Lupercalia was great as it celebrated Lupa the foster mother and Lupercus the great wolf of the wilderness. The feast itself was gruesome and dark. Men would try to channel their inner wolves during this feast day, so much noise and howling would've gone on. They would sacrifice a goat and a dog, combining both of their blood into a bowl, and a knife would dip into the mixture, then removed dripping. Two noble children would have this blood smeared on their foreheads, while cloth would be soaked in milk from a nanny goat, and used to wash away the blood on the children's foreheads. The children would've been encouraged to laugh even if they were scared. This was to show everyone that they were unafraid of the wolf's magical powers. There were different forms of worship of each wolf. Those who followed Lupa the she-wolf formed a branch named the Luperci. This included men becoming wolves chasing women in the streets and beating them with whips, then taking them home for sex or keeping as wives. This became toned down later on and eventually was replaced by the gentle and softer Christianised version of Valentine's Day. 

Shadow Girl