Lupercalia, A mid-February fertility and purification rite held on February 13–15 in honor of Faunus (the Roman god of agriculture) and the legendary founders Romulus and Remus. Priests (Luperci) sacrificed goats and a dog, then struck bystanders—especially women—with strips of goat hide to promote fertility and ease childbirth. Though not about romantic love, the festival’s themes of fertility and pairing later helped it merge with Christian traditions. By the 1400s, European nobles exchanged love notes or “valentines.” Surviving examples include a 1415 letter from Charles, Duke of Orléans, to his wife while imprisoned in the Tower of London.  

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