Valentine’s Day did not begin with romance, flowers or sentimental gestures. Its roots lie in a pagan fertility festival marked by animal sacrifice, ritual violence and beliefs that would be unrecognizable and uncomfortable to modern celebrants.
In mid-February, ancient Romans marked Lupercalia, a fertility festival associated with Faunus, a god linked to agriculture and nature. The festival included the sacrifice of animals, typically goats and, according to some sources, dogs. Their blood was used in ritual acts believed to promote purification and fertility.

Find out more in a commentary by Louise McEwan in this week’s paper.