The Pagan origins of St Valentines Day

It is Valentine's Day on Saturday and at the moment it feels like the world has gone crazy with red roses and hearts everywhere!

I'm not against most of these celebrations that we have it just feels like every year there is more and more stuff you can buy! As someone selling things to folk though I don't feel I can complain too much about the commercialisaion of these celebratory days that we have!(http://www.astarte-moon.co.uk if you want to check the site out, sorry unashamedly advertising there but girl's got to pay her bills!!)

It is estimated that approximately a billion Valentine's cards will be sent around the globe on February 14th! I wonder how many roses will be sent to accompany them!

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February 14th was originally a Pagan festival of love celebrated in Rome. It was the feast day of Juno, Queen of the Gods and the Patroness of Marriage. This day was followed by the feast of Lupercalia. The feast was named for Lupercus the hunter of Wolves, he has also gone by the name of Pan (Greek), Baal, and Nimrod in other Pagan cultures. The God Baal was known as the Sun god to the ancient Pagans. It is also said that the symbol of the heart was obtained from the Babylonians and that the word for heart was 'bal'. Thus the heart became the symbol for Nimrod or Baal.This could be the origin of the heart we now associate with Valentines Day.

Couples that had been matched together during the feast of Juno would stay together throughout the celebrations of Lupercalia. The match making occurred from the boys pulling the names of the girls they would be with out of a jar. Often these unions despite how they started would prove to be deep and long lasting. 

It was towards the end of the 5th century that the Christian church decided to ensure there were no Pagan overtones to the day and dedicated February 14th to St Valentine.

However you celebrate and whatever you call the day I hope you enjoy some time with your loved ones.

With love light and blessings to you all, AstarteAlison

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