The Pagan Roots of Valentine’s Day

When Valentine’s Day looms on the horizon, many people start thinking about love. Did you know that the modern Valentine’s Day, although named for a martyred saint, actually has its roots in an early Pagan custom? Let’s take a look at how Valentine’s Day evolved from a Roman festival into the marketing behemoth that it is today.
Lupercalia’s Love Lottery

February is a great time of year to be in the greeting-card or chocolate-heart industry. This month has long been associated with love and romance, going back to the days of early Rome. Back then, February was the month in which people celebrated Lupercalia, a festival honoring the birth of Romulus and Remus, the twin founders of the city. As Lupercalia evolved and time went on, it morphed into a festival honoring fertility and the coming of spring.

For part of the celebration, young women would place their names in an urn. Eligible men would draw a name and the couple would pair of for the rest of the festival — sometimes even longer.

As Christianity progressed into Rome, the practice was decried as Pagan and immoral, and done away with by Pope Gelasius around 500 C.E. Although recently there’s been some scholarly debate about the existence of the Lupercalia lottery – and some people believe it may not have existed at all – it’s still a legend that brings to mind ancient matchmaking rituals perfect for this time of year!
A More Spiritual Celebration

Around the same time that the love lottery was being eliminated, Gelasius had a brilliant idea. Why not replace the lottery with something a bit more spiritual? He changed the love lottery to a lottery of the Saints — instead of pulling a pretty girl’s name from the urn, young men pulled the name of a saint. The challenge for these bachelors was to try to be more saint-like in the coming year, studying and learning about the messages of their individual saint.
Who Was Valentine, Anyway?

While he was trying to convince Rome’s young nobleman to be more saintly, Pope Gelasis also declared St. Valentine (more on him in just a bit) the patron saint of lovers, and his day was to be held every year on February 14. There is some question about who St. Valentine actually was — he may have been a priest during the reign of the Emperor Claudius.

The legend is that the young priest, Valentine, disobeyed Claudius by performing wedding ceremonies for young men, when the Emperor preferred to see them roped into military service rather than marriage. While imprisoned, Valentine fell in love with a young girl who visited him, perhaps the daughter of the jailer. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent her a letter, signed, From your Valentine. No one knows if this story is true, but it certainly makes St. Valentine a romantic and tragic hero.

The Christian church had a hard time maintaining some of these traditions, and for a while St. Valentine’s Day disappeared off the radar. In fact, during medieval times the lover’s lottery regained popularity — chivalrous young men paired off with ladies, and wore the names of their lover on their sleeves for a year.
Modern Valentine’s Day

Around the end of the 18th century, Valentine’s Day cards began to appear. Small pamphlets were published, with sentimental poems that young men could copy and send to the object of their affections. Eventually, printing houses learned there was a profit to be made in pre-made cards, complete with romantic pictures and love-themed verse. The first American Valentine cards were created by Esther Howland in the 1870s, according to Victorian Treasury. Other than Christmas, more cards are exchanged at Valentine’s Day than any other time of the year.

 

 

By Patti Wigington, Paganism/Wicca Expert
Article originally published on and owned by About.com

 

The Goddess Book of Days for February 14th

Second day of Parentalia in Rome, the Lupercal, day of fertility dedicated to Juno-Lupa, the she- wolf. Women’s pleas for children are granted. Other Fertility/Birth Goddesses are Isis, Kwan Yin, Yernaya, Tonantzin, Mary, Cybele, Astarte. Origin of Valentine’s Day.

 

The Goddess Book of Days
Diane Stein

 

The Pagan Book of Days for Tuesday, February 14th

St. Valentine’s Day is a festival of love that amalgamates the Pagan traditions of rome and northern Europe. It is also dedicated to the Norse deity Vali, the archer god, son of Odin and to Juno Februa, goddess of maternal and married love. The festival begins after sunset on February 13. Girls should decorate their pillows with five bay leaves, to dream of their lover and husbands to be. In England on this day an arch of brambles is carried to banish unwelcome spirits. In Scandinavia there is a tradition of running labyrinths on this day.

 

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

Observance of Valentine’s Day

 

“We may owe our observance of Valentine’s Day to the Roman celebration of Lupercalia, a festival of eroticism that honored Juno Februata, the goddess of “feverish” (febris) love. Annually, on the ides of February, love notes or “billets” would be drawn to partner men and women for feasting and sexual game playing.”
– Saint Valentine’s Day

Today is Tuesday, February 14

Tuesday is dedicated to the powers of the planet Mars, personified in Ares, Tiwaz, Tiw, Tuisco and Tyr. Tuesday rules controlled power, energy and endurance.

Deity: Tiwaz

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Planet: Mars

Tree: Holly

Herb: Plantain

Stone: Agate

Animal: Crab

Element: Fire

Color: White

Number: 2

Rune: Tyr (T)

Celtic Tree Month of Luis (Rowan) – (January 21 – February 17)

The Runic Half Month of Sigel (February 12 – February 26)

Goddess of the Month of Bridhe – (January 22 – February 19th)

Source

The Pagan Book of Days
Nigel Pennick

 

Valentine’s Day

 

“Valentine’s Day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of “valentines.” Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The mid-nineteenth century Valentine’s Day trade was a harbinger of further commercialized holidays in the United States to follow. The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year worldwide, making the day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas. The association estimates that women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.”
– Valentine’s Day – Wikipedia

The Sky This Week for February 14 to 19

The Winter Hexagon, Venus reaches its greatest brilliancy, and other beautiful things to look for in the sky this week.

By Richard Talcott

 

Tuesday, February 14

In what seems a fitting tribute, the planet named after the Roman goddess of love shines brilliantly in the evening sky on Valentine’s Day. Venus gleams at magnitude –4.8 and shows up easily in the west-southwest within a half-hour after sunset. It grows even more prominent as darkness settles over the landscape. The planet lies among the background stars of Pisces the Fish, a region that stands some 30° high an hour after the Sun goes down and doesn’t set until 9 p.m. local time. When viewed through a telescope this evening, Venus appears 38″ across and 29 percent illuminated.

Wednesday, February 15

Jupiter rises around 10 p.m. local time and climbs highest in the south about 90 minutes before morning twilight commences. The giant world shines at magnitude –2.3 against the backdrop of central Virgo, some 4° north of that constellation’s brightest star, 1st-magnitude Spica. And this evening, the waning gibbous Moon rises just a half-hour after the planet and follows it across the sky the rest of the night. Even a small telescope reveals Jupiter’s 41″-diameter disk and four bright moons.

Thursday, February 16

Mars continues to put on a nice show these February evenings. It appears 25° high in the west-southwest once twilight fades to darkness, though it’s easier to find by looking 7° (about one binocular field) to the upper left of brilliant Venus. The magnitude 1.2 Red Planet currently lies among the background stars of Pisces the Fish. A telescope shows the world’s 5″-diameter disk, but you likely won’t see any surface detail.

Friday, February 17

Venus reaches greatest brilliancy today, when it shines at magnitude –4.8 (magnitude –4.85, to be more precise). That makes it 10 times brighter than the evening sky’s second-brightest object, Jupiter. Although today marks the inner planet’s official peak, it doesn’t dip below magnitude –4.8 until early March.

Jupiter reaches aphelion at 2 a.m. EST. This is the point in its 12-year orbit around the Sun where it lies farthest from our star, at a distance of 507.2 million miles (816.3 million kilometers).

Saturday, February 18

Last Quarter Moon occurs at 2:33 p.m. EST. Look for it either before dawn this morning (when it lies among the background stars of Libra and looks slightly more than half-lit) or after it rises around 1:30 a.m. local time tomorrow (when it stands near the Scorpius-Ophiuchus border and appears as a fat crescent).

If the Last Quarter Moon looks a little smaller to you today, it may not be your imagination. Our satellite reaches apogee, the farthest point in its orbit around Earth, at 4:14 p.m. EST. It then lies 251,268 miles (404,376 kilometers) from Earth’s center.

Sunday, February 19

One of the sky’s largest asterisms — a recognizable pattern of stars separate from a constellation’s form — occupies center stage on February evenings. To trace the so-called Winter Hexagon, start with southern Orion’s luminary, Rigel. From there, the hexagon makes a clockwise loop. The second stop is brilliant Sirius in Canis Major. Next, pick up Procyon in the faint constellation Canis Minor, then the twins Castor and Pollux in Gemini, followed by Capella in Auriga, Aldebaran in Taurus, and finally back to Rigel.

 

Source

Astronomy Magazine

 

It’s Valentine’s Day in the United States

 

Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14. It is a festival of romantic love and many people give cards, letters, flowers or presents to their spouse or partner. They may also arrange a romantic meal in a restaurant or night in a hotel. Common symbols of Valentine’s Day are hearts, red roses and Cupid.
What Do People Do?

Many people celebrate their love for their partner by sending cards or letters, giving gifts or flowers and arranging meals in restaurants or romantic nights in hotels. People who would like to have a romantic relationship with somebody may use the occasion to make this known, often anonymously. Valentine’s cards are often decorated with images of hearts, red roses or Cupid. Common Valentine’s Day gifts are flowers chocolates, candy, lingerie and champagne or sparkling wine. However, some people use the occasion to present lavish gifts, such as jewelry. Many restaurants and hotels have special offers at this time. These can include romantic meals or weekend breaks.
Public Life

Valentine’s Day is not a public holiday. Government offices, stores, schools and other organizations are open as usual. Public transit systems run on their regular schedule. Restaurants may be busier than usual as many people go out for an evening with their spouse or partner. Valentine’s Day is also a very popular date for weddings.
Background

There are a number of Saints called Valentine who are honored on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the Middle Ages in England. This may have followed on from the Pagan fertility festivals that were held all over Europe as the winter came to an end. Traditionally, lovers exchanged hand written notes. Commercial cards became available in the mid nineteenth century.
Symbols

The most common Valentine’s Day symbols are the heart, particularly in reds and pinks, and pictures or models of Cupid. Cupid is usually portrayed as a small winged figure with a bow and arrow. In mythology, he uses his arrow to strike the hearts of people. People who have fallen in love are sometimes said to be ‘struck by Cupid’s arrow. Other symbols of Valentine’s Day are couples in loving embraces and the gifts of flowers, chocolate, red roses and lingerie that couples often give each other.

Source

timeanddate.com

 

Your Daily Sun & Moon Data for Tuesday, February 14th

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 136.93° SE
Sun Altitude: 28.72°
Sun Distance: 91.806 million mi
Next Equinox: Mar 20, 2017 5:28 am (Vernal)
Sunrise Today: 6:44 am↑ 106° East
Sunset Today: 5:34 pm↑ 255° West
Length of Daylight: 10 hours, 49 minutes

 

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 275.93° W
Moon Altitude: -10.42°
Moon Distance: 244699 mi
Next New Moon: Feb 26, 20178:58 am
Next Full Moon: Mar 12, 20179:53 am
Next Moonrise: Today9:28 pm
Current Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 86.1%

Source

timeanddate.com

Witchery, Magick and Enchantment for Monday, February 13

 

Think for a moment on all of the witchery, magick and enchantments that you have discovered. Don’t be afraid to adjust spells to suit your own specific needs. Any gentle, illusory, and dreamy charms and spells can be enhanced when you work on the day of the week that is dedicated to the moon. Mondays are a fantastic day to boost your psychic abilities and to tune in to your intuition and empathy. It also gives you the opportunity to work with a different lunar phase each and every Monday, which means in one month you could work four different types of moon magicks on Mondays. How’s that for adding to your repertoire? You are going to have mad skills in no time at all.

So light up those lunar scented candles and add a little mystique to your outfit by wearing an enchanting lunar color. Wear your sparkling silver jewelry and maybe add a pair of dangling silver earrings or a pendant shaped like a crescent moon. Create lunar potions and philters; make a dream catcher and give it as a gift to someone you love. Burn some sandalwood or jasmine-scented incense today to inspire the glamour and magick of the moon. Slice up a favorite variety of fruit that is in season for a snack or share it with your love and enjoy his or her lunar and romantic qualities. Brew up a cup of chamomile tea, enchant it with a little moon magick, and relax and get a good night’s sleep.

Most importantly, get outside tonight and watch the moon for a while. What phase is she in? What color was the moon as she rose? Why not start a journal and write down at what location the moon rises and sets for a few seasons? This is a great way to teach you to tune in and to become more aware of the moon and the influence that she pulls into our lives. Try calling on Selene for her magickal assistance, and call Thoth for wisdom and strength. Get to know the Norse Mani and the Latvian Meness. These gods of the moon have plenty to teach, and if you allow their influence to cycle through your life, you’ll receive many blessings. Be imaginative, and create your own personal lunar magick and witchery. Go on….the moonlight becomes you.

 

Source

Book of Witchery: Spells, Charms & Correspondences for Every Day of the Week
Ellen Dugan

 

The Witches Guide to Monday

 

In the word Monday, we can see part of the word Moon. In the romance languages such as Italian or Spanish, this day of the week is called Lunes and clearly relates to the word lunar.On Mondays, a variety of magick may be worked. Because Monday centers on the energies of the Moon, things like psychism, dreams, feminine energy, health, success in spiritual pursuits, domestic matters, and things of family origin are especially important this day.

Mondays are best for love magick and anything concerning home or family, thus old saying, Mondays child is fair of face, which seems clearly to relate to the themes of love and health.

Angels of Monday are Gabriel, Arcan, Missabu, and Abuzaha. Arcan is known as the king of the angels of air and the “ruler” of Monday. Abuzaha (Abuzohar) serves Monday, and is very responsive to invocations and ritual magick. Missabu is a ministering angel of Arcan.

Check whether the moon is waning or waxing to determine what your spell will be. During waning moons, do spells to rid yourself of obstacles or for wisdom and protection. During waxing moons do magic for increase of any kind or to draw something into your life.

On Mondays, the best hour to work is moonrise. Get this information from your local newspaper, astrological calendar, or almanac.

 

Source

Gypsy Magic