The Lupercalia

. "The Lupercalia," says Plutarch,1 "from the time of its celebration, might seem to be a ceremony of purification, for it is performed in the ill-omened days of the month of February, a period which any one would interpret as devoted to expiation; furthermore the very day of the Lupercalia was in olden times called The Purification. But the name of this festival is the same as Lycaea in Greek, and for this reason it seems to be a' very ancient festival of the Arcadian immigrants who followed Evander. But this is merely the general explanation, for the name may, in fact, have been derived from the she-wolf [of the Romulus legend]. And, indeed, we believe that the Luperci begin their race about the city at the spot where, they tell us, Romulus was exposed. The ceremonial, however, makes the origin of the rite hard to guess. For goats are slain, then two boys of noble rank are led up to the victim, and a sword which has been dipped into blood is pressed upon their foreheads, after which the blood is immediately wiped off with a bit of wool moistened in milk. The blood having been removed, the lads must laugh. After this [the Luperci] cut the hides of the goats into strips and, naked except for a girdle, they run about [the Palatine], striking with the thongs everyone whom they meet. The young women do not shun the blows, since they believe that they will avail for the conception and the easy delivery of children. A peculiar feature of the festival is that the Luper...