Že času, ko so večnemu mestu Rim vladali kralji, so ljudje v sredini februarja praznovali pastoralni festival plodnosti imenovan Luperkalije. V istem času danes praznujemo moderni praznik ljubezni Valentinovo. Zgodovinarji si niso enotni, ali gre za namerno prevzemanje starih poganskih festivalov v zgodnjem krščanstvu, kot je bila sicer znana praksa, ali za naključje – rezultat spreminjanja sezon, ko se konec dolge mrzle zime zdi naravno praznovati preporod, ljubezen, plodnost in naravo. Okvirno so si teme festivala torej podobne, tako kot datum, način praznovanja pa se, razen morebitnih zasebnih obredov, ne bi mogel bolj razlikovati.

ZGODOVINA

Točni začetki Luperkalije niso znani, morda segajo že v 6. stoletju pr. n. št. Legenda je povezana z najbolj znanim rimskim mitom o ustanoviteljih mesta Rim Romulu in Remu. Ko ju je volkulja rešila iz reke Tibere, ju je prinesla v jamo na Palatinu, glavnemu izmed sedmih gričev kjer je kasneje nastal Rim. Jama je bila od takrat naprej imenovana volčja jama. Kasneje ju je odkril in vzgajal pastir, zaradi česar sta glavni temi festivala tudi pašništvo in narava. Rimljani so nasploh idealizirali mirno agrarno življenje.

POTEK PRAZNOVANJA

Sprva so bile Luperkalije značilen rimski festival, ki je vključeval ritualna žrtvovanja in pojedine. Žrtvovali so koze in celo psa, kar za rimsko kulturo  sicer ni značilno, tu pa verjetno predstavlja volkuljo. Skozi dolgo zgodovino pa se je festival spreminjal in postajal vse bolj divji, dokler ni preživel samega rimskega cesarstva. V 5. stoletju ga je moral papež Gelazij I. načrtno ukiniti.

Festival v republiki in cesarstvu se je začel v Volčji jami na Palatinu. Obred se je pričel z zgoraj omenjenim žrtvovanjem, ki so ga opravili duhovniki dveh glavnih rimskih družin (Kvintiliji, ki naj bi bili potomci Romula, in Fabiji, ki naj bi bili potomci Rema). Nato so se prekrili s krvjo žrtvovanih živali in se očistili z mlekom prepojeno volno, kar je simboliziralo preporod. Iz kozjih kož so duhovniki nato izdelali biče in se slekli – po nekaterih virih do golega, Plutarh pa podaja da so imeli intimne dele imeli pokrite – in tekli po ulicah Rima. Pri tem so iskali in bičali ženske, ki pa se tega niso branile, saj naj bi udarec z bičem prinašal srečo in dobro plodnost. Nekatere so se celo metale pred duhovnike, ki pa naj bi to dojemali kot nešportno dejanje. Od njih so namreč pričakovali vsaj pretvarjanje, da biči povzročajo bolečino. Med tem so moški iz keramičnih posod naključno žrebali imena žensk. Z izžrebankami so nato preživeli noč, nekateri bolj zvesti sledilci festivala pa so bili v paru celo leto do naslednjih Luperkalij. V tem času so se mnogi zares zaljubili in poročili.

VALENTINOVO

Čez čas so Luperkalije izgubile nekatere bolj divje elemente. Oblečeni moški so bičali ženske čez roke, kar pa še vedno ni ustrezalo katoliški cerkvi. Papež Gelazij I. je tako 14. februar razglasil za praznovanje mučeništva Sv. Valentina. Namerno ali ne, je ta dan postal novo praznovanje ljubezni in veliko elementov današnjega praznovanja Valentinovega je bilo prevzetih. Med njimi sta je tudi uporaba rdeče in bele barve, ki sta v Luperkalijah simbolizirali žrtvovano kri in mleko, uporabljeno pri očiščenju in preporodu.   

CEZAR

Leta 44 pr. n. št. so Luperkalije postale prizor slavnega incidenta z Julijem Cezarjem. Po zmagi v državljanski vojni je v Rimu brez nasprotovanja izvajal svoje načrte. Tako je v začetek praznovanja, ko so žrtvovanja v Volčji jami izvajali duhovniki Kvintilijev in Fabijev, v nasprotovanju s tradicijo vključil duhovnike svoje družine. Vodil jih je Mark Antonij, ki je tudi sodeloval v golem teku in bičanju. Med tem je Cezarju, pred očmi mračne množice, prinesel diadem oziroma krono, in ga hotel okronati za kralja, kar je bil največji strah njegovih nasprotnikov. Cezar je krono trikrat zavrnil, in nadaljeval vladanje kot kralj v vsem, razen imenu. Njemu naklonjeni pisci so to vzeli kot znak njegovih plemenitih namenov, bolj cinični  pa so mnenja, da je preverjal razpoloženje množice – če bi bila naklonjena, bi krono sprejel. Mesec kasneje je bil umorjen, festival pa se je nadaljeval po utečeni tradiciji.

Avtor: Domen Perne

Eng.

The middle of February, which is today marked by Valentine’s day, was a time of another similar festival of fertility, nature and rebirth, when Rome was still ruled by kings – Lupercalia.

The beginnings of Lupercalia are unknown, however it is assumed that they date back to at least the 6th century BC, and are connected to the most famous Roman myth of Romulus and Remus. When they were rescued by the famous she-wolf from the Tiber, they were brought to a cave on the Palatine hill – one of the seven hills of Rome. The cave, which was henceforth known as the Wolf cave, became the site of the beginning of the Lupercalia celebrations. There, priests of two families, the Quintilii (believed to be the descendants of Romulus) and the Fabii (believed to be the descendants of Remus) began the festival by sacrificing goats and a dog. The priests were covered in blood and then cleaned with milk-soaked wool, symbolising rebirth and renewal. A feast followed. So far a standard course of a Roman festival. What followed was a wild celebration, which led to the catholic church banning the festival even after the sacrifices were no longer used. The priests stripped naked, or at least to a loincloth, and ran the streets of Rome whit whips fashioned from the goatskins, whipping women as they went. To be whipped was a sign of good luck and good fertility, so many women threw themselves in front of the priests. In the meantime, men picked names of women from a jar. The random couples then slept together. More devout followers of Lupercalia were together for a whole year, until the next festival, during which time many actually fell in love and got married.

The festival continued even after the fall of the Empire, albeit in a more moderate form. Fully clothed men whipped women over the hands, however that was still unacceptable to the catholic church, so pope Gelasius I. declared February the 14th to be a celebration of the martyrdom of St. Valentine. Many scholars believe that it is incidental that we now celebrate another festival of love on this day, however some similarities with Lupercalia, intentional or not, persists. The red and white theme, for example, was already used during Lupercalia to symbolise the sacrificial blood and milk.

During Lupercalia in 44 BC, Julius Caesar had a famous incident. He had priests of his family participate in the sacrifice, contrary to tradition. Mark Anthony ran naked trough the streets with them and presented Caesar with a diadem or crown. Under the eyes of a sombre crowd, he refused. Many scholars believe he was testing the waters, and if the crowd was more receptive, he would have accepted. The naked running of such a leading figure as Mark Anthony, however, shows that Lupercalia was really a very fun time free of inhibitions to contemporary Romans.