The Topic
The topic I chose to explore involves the origins of St. Valentine’s Day. More specifically, it involved researching modern-day St. Valentine’s Day and its original festival, Lupercalia. The topic was chosen to see the differences between Roman and modern-day interpretations of the day and research the roots of a popular holiday in today’s society. While St. Valentine’s Day is believed to be the day of love, Lupercalia is the day of fertility. Moreover, the topic illustrates how a pagan celebration was changed under the influence of religion.
The Historical Roots of the Current Event
Analyzing my research topic enhanced my understanding of the roots of current St. Valentine’s Day by showing how the current event transitioned from the initial Roman fertility festival. The current event, St. Valentine’s Day, is perceived as a day for those in love and is celebrated to commemorate the saint named Valentine. However, not everybody is aware of the roots of this day and that it is connected with the Roman fertility festival. After exploring the roots of the current event, it becomes more logical that people in these eras were more concerned with practical issues of fertility rather than love.
Biased Influence on Knowledge About Both Historical and Current Events
The biased perspectives completely transformed the purpose of St. Valentine’s Day by lacking emphasis on Lupercalia. There are those who assume that Valentine’s Day is a day celebrated in the middle of February to mark Valentine’s passing, which most likely took place circa 270 A.D. (Selwood, 2021). However, Christians might have chosen to do so in an attempt to Christianize the festival of Lupercalia (Selwood, 2021). Lupercalia was a fertility celebration honoring the Roman founding fathers Romulus and Remus in addition to Faunus, the deity of farming, and was observed on February 15 (Selwood, 2021). The Luperci, an institution of Roman church officials, would assemble at a holy cavern where it was said that a wolf cared for the newborns Romulus and Remus, the creators of Rome, to start the celebration (Selwood, 2021). For fertility and cleansing, the worshippers would sacrifice a goat and a dog (Selwood, 2021). Roman women were supposed to become more fertile the following year.
The Missing Perspective of the Narrative About the Historical Event
In the given situation, the point of view might change the historical event in terms of purpose. When told from a missing perspective, this historical event analysis might involve more emphasis on women instead of the founders of Rome. In this case, it was mentioned that the festival of Lupercalia was celebrated to praise the wolf that nurtured Romulus, Remus, and Faunus. However, when considering the sacrifices of animals to bring fertility, the event might change toward honoring all women and their fertility. If a missing perceptive was involved, the historical event could be reviewed as a transition from pagan practices to religious influences. It would show that under the influence of Christianity, the celebration became a process of worshiping women and praying for fertility.
The Missing Perspective of the Narrative About the Current Event
The current event analysis would change in terms of traditions if told from a missing perspective. There would be more emphasis on the Roman legends and how this festival is linked to fertility and animal sacrifices. Instead of viewing this day as a way to commemorate one’s relationships and love by making presents, people would start to see it from a historical perspective. When it comes to sacrifices, people might start to see presents as such. In this case, presents would be seen additionally as symbols of fertility.
Reference
Selwood, D. (2021). Anatomy of a nation: A history of British identity in 50 documents. Brown Book Group.