Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A fertility festival in ancient Rome, celebrated on February 15 in honor of the pastoral god Lupercus.
from The Century Dictionary.
- One of the most ancient of Roman festivals, celebrated every year in the middle of February.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun plural (Rom. Antiq.) A feast of the Romans in honor of Lupercus, or Pan.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun An
ancient pastoral festival observed in mid-February toavert evil spirits andpurify the city.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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• Pagan ritual stolen from a Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia; a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus
Katie Amatruda: WHy Divorcees Should Occupy Valentine's Day Katie Amatruda 2012
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Others tie the the day to an ancient Roman feast that had tones of romance called Lupercalia, which took place on February 15.
St. Valentine's Day - A Celebration of Heroic Love jenmack 2009
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Others tie the the day to an ancient Roman feast that had tones of romance called Lupercalia, which took place on February 15.
Archive 2009-02-01 Jessica 2009
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The Romans were celebrating their festival, called the Lupercalia, when Caesar, in his triumphal habit, and seated above the Rostra in the market-place, was a spectator of the sports.
The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans Plutarch 2003
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A heathen deity of Italy, Lupercus, the guardian of their flocks and pastures, has also been identified with Pan, and in whose honour annual rural festivals, known as Lupercalia, were observed.
A History of Pantomime R. J. Broadbent
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[90] The Lupercalia was a festival, celebrated in a place called the
The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 01: Julius Caesar Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus
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The Romans were celebrating their festival, called the Lupercalia, when Cæsar, in his triumphal habit, and seated above the Rostra in the market-place, was a spectator of the sports.
Antony Plutarch 1909
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It is said that the festival of the Lupercalia, which is still observed, was even in those days celebrated on the Palatine hill.
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The early church cleaned up and Christianized a raunchy Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia that we now celebrate as Valentine's Day.
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The early church cleaned up and Christianized a raunchy Roman fertility festival called Lupercalia that we now celebrate as Valentine's Day.
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