Lupercalia
Sign in to saveLupercalia, also known as Lupercal, was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as , after the purification instruments called , the basis for the month named .
Key facts
- Holiday.observances
- sacrifices of goats and a dog by the Luperci; offering of cakes by the Vestals; fertility rite in which the goatskin-clad Luperci strike women who wish to conceive
- Holiday.holiday_name
- Lupercalia
- Holiday.type
- pagan
- Holiday.longtype
- Classical Roman religion
- Holiday.image
- File:Camasei-lupercales-prado.jpg
- Holiday.caption
- Lupercalia, oil painting, circa 1635
- Holiday.observedby
- Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, Roman Empire
- Holiday.date
- February 15
- Holiday.celebrations
- feasting
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
13 sectionsContents
- <span class="anchor" id="Etymologies"></span><span class="anchor" id="Names"></span> Name
- Rites
- Locations
- Priesthoods
- Sacrifice and fertility rites
- History
- Legacy
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Further reading
- External links
Lupercalia, also known as Lupercal, was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as , after the purification instruments called , the basis for the month named .
== Name == The festival was originally known as Februa ("Purifications" or "Purgings") after the which was used on the day. It was also known as and gave its name variously, as epithet to Juno , , or in her role as patron deity of that month; to a supposed purification deity called Februus; and to February (), the month during which the festival occurred. Ovid connects to an Etruscan word for 'purging'.