Lupercalia was a holiday celebrated by ancient Romans on the Ides of February (February 15). The celebration honored the gods Lupercus and Faunus, as well as the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome.
According to myth, Romulus and Remus were suckled by wolves at a cave on the Palatine Hill, in the city of Rome. The Romans appropriately named this cave the Lupercal, and used it as the center of Lupercalia ceremonies.
Luperci (priests of Lupercus), dressed in goatskins for the ceremony, would sacrifice goats and a dog, smear themselves with sacrificial blood, and run around the hill carrying a goatskin thong called a februa ("means of purification"). Women in the city placed themselves in positions around the hill so that the priests could strike them with the februa. This was thought to assure the women of fertility and easy childbirth. ...
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