As we've discussed at length, holidays, and the means of
celebrating them, were very different during the colonial era.
Most of the holidays that are enjoyed today were hardly even
recognized by the first generation of American, due to the fact
that they had a very different set of social and cultural norms.
As far as Valentine's Day is concerned, the differences are
almost night and day. First off, colonial America did not
celebrate Valentine's Day with chocolates and cards. This does
not mean, however, that they were void of celebration. Instead
of a formal Valentine's Day, many colonial Americans joined in
celebrating festivities that were based on the Roman holiday of
Lupercalia. Lupercalia was a holiday to commemorate both Romulus
and Remus, the two fabled founders of Rome. During Lupercalia,
men would chase women around in goat-skinned clothing, hoping to
be able to catch a virgin. The women were also lightly whipped
with leaves as they were chased. The men were to laugh as loud
as possible, in the hope