Lupercalia was too wild for Pope Gelasius I. The festival celebrated spring with fertility rites, including a lottery pairing women with men.

AI Image of The Roman Festival of Lupercalia Long before Valentine's Day was recognized as a holiday, the Romans held an annual festival called Lupercalia.

While historians have long debated the holiday's origin story, evidence shows it predates the existence of commercial greeting cards by centuries.

All you lovebirds out there know that in just a couple of short weeks, Valentine's Day will be upon us. Some people say that the holiday comes from the Roman festival of Lupercalia, but others ...

Pope Gelasius I is said to have replaced the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia with St. Valentine's Day in the fifth century. The first mass-produced valentines were sold in the 1840s. Today ...

Pope Gelasius I is said to have replaced the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia with St. Valentine's Day in the fifth century. The first mass-produced valentines were sold in the 1840s. Today ...

Lupercalia was too wild for Pope Gelasius I. The festival celebrated spring with fertility rites, including a lottery pairing women with men.