Welcome to Gaia! ::

Well, the Luperci were a priesthood fraternity in the Roman era. They celebrated a rite of Faunus, the Roman version of Pan. It also had overtones associated with wolves due to the founding of the nation state by Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a wolf b***h - hense the title 'Luperci'. It was a holiday for cleansing and purification and fertility.

These priests were all of noble families. They would go to a sacred cave, make sacrifices of goat and a dog. Blood was wiped across their foreheads, which was then cleaned off with wool dipped in milk while they laughed. They'd then flay the skins off the goats, and wrap the lengths of it around their waists, leaving enough to act as a flail.

After this they ran through the streets of Rome whipping people lining the streets as they passed. To be struck by a Luperci was both good fortune and promoted fertility - men and women who had trouble having children could be granted children by being struck.

So this specific priesthood and its' festival was less about 'love', and more about maintaining Rome's good fortune, chasing out evil spirits with their run and their flailing, and passing on fertility blessings from Faunus to the citizens of the city.

I'm not celebrating it this year for a few reasons. First being it lands on Dies Ater which is an unlucky day. You shouldn't give offerings or invoke the Gods on those days, which would defeat the whole purpose of a holiday having to do with a God.
Second being, today is the start of Parentalia which goes on until the 20th and ends with Feralia. So this week is all about mourning my lost loved ones and ancestors and paying honor to them..which kind of is more important to me.

It is a headache at times whee
But hey, lots of feasts at least!