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Lupercalia and the Origins of Valentine's Day
Long before St. Valentine, there was an ancient annual pastoral feast called Lupercalia. It was celebrated in Rome between February 13 and 15 in the Lupercal Cave at the Palatine Hill.
Legend tells of the twin-founders of the city, Romulus and Remus, who were thrown into the Tiber on the orders of their usurping uncle Amulius. The babies washed ashore near a wild fig tree and were found by a she-wolf, who suckled them and raised them with her mate in their den. Years later, they were found living feral by the shepherd Faustulus and his wife Acca Larentia, who took them in. Upon reaching adulthood, they discovered their true identities, and set out to avenge themselves. They killed their great uncle and founded the Eternal City.