The True Origins of Saint Valentine’s Day: Lupercalia is
uniquely Roman, but even the Romans of the first century were at
a loss to explain exactly which deity or deities were being
exalted. The Feast of St. Valentine and the saint lottery lasted
for a couple hundred years, but the church just couldn’t rid the
people’s memory of Lupercalia. In time, the church gave up on
Valentine all together. Protestant churches don’t recognize
saints at all, and very few Catholic churches choose to
celebrate or observe the life of St. Valentine on a ‘Valentine’s
Sunday’. The lottery finally returned to coupling eligible
singles in the 15th century. The church attempted to revive the
saint lottery once again in the 16th century, but it never
caught on. Monthly Archives: February 2010 Imbolc, literally “in
milk”, refers to the beginning of lactation in the farm animals,
in preparation for the birth of the young. The name Candlemas
traces to the practice of blessing the candles for the coming
year, making way for the light to