I call this time of year, “Love Season.”
Not only is Valentine’s Day right around the corner, my wedding anniversary is in March. Something just feels right about celebrating love as the wheel of the year turns away from the winter solstice and towards spring.
As the days brighten little by little, a feeling of hope (and love) tends to fill my soul.
I’ve changed the decorations on our Christmas tree to pink and red hearts. I’ve placed heart pillows here and there, and am thinking about gifts to give to both my husband and children to commemorate the occasion.
Love Season is coming!
February has been known as a season of love for a long time. I think humans have instinctively known that as winter inches closer to spring, love begins to bloom.
Lupercalia, also known as Februa
Prior to the banning of pagan holidays by the Christian empire, Ancient Rome celebrated Lupercalia on February 15th, which encouraged health and fertility. Although Romans had a funny way of showing it!
Lupercalia had it’s own priesthood. At the Lupercal altar, a male goat (or goats) and male dog were sacrificed. Then two Luperci priests approached the altar to have their foreheads anointed with blood, and then wiped clean with wool soaked in milk. After this, they were supposed to laugh.
After the sacrificial feast, pieces of the flayed skin of the animals (called februa) were cut. The priests ran with these either naked or near naked through the city. Those who were pregnant and wanted an easily delivery, or those who wished to become pregnant held out their hands to be slapped by the februa.
The month of February is named after this purification and fertility festival. Lupercalia also was tied to the myth of Romulus and Remus and the cult of breastfeeding.
Valentine’s Day
Pope Gelasius I replaced Lupercalia with Valentine’s Day on February 14th in the fifth century. There are many mythical stories surrounding Valentine’s Day. In one, St. Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor. In another, he restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer.
Valentine’s Day has now evolved into a major holiday celebrating love around the world. While some may think it’s overly commercialized, I still love it.
The Love of Christ
While it can be both informative and interesting to learn about the history of Love Season, probably the most important thing we can do is to live a life of love.
And not just during Love Season. All of the time!
I follow the Way of Jesus, which encourages me to love God and love others. Though I’m not perfect at this (and probably never will be), each day I try to focus on small ways that I can live this lifestyle.
Does my family have an unmet need that I can easily help with?
Then I try to meet it.
Is God leading me in a certain direction?
Then I try to explore it.
I think love is much more simple than we often make it out to be. Lots of times, it involves simply being present with both God and others.
But then loving can be big, too. Loving God can bring real power into our lives. I’ve noticed that after I make a few decisions based on my love for God, I start to make more and more. It’s addicting, I tell you.
The peace, clarity, and joy that loving God brings is really second to none.
Saint Teresa of Ávila once said, “The important thing is not to think much, but to love much; do, then, whatever most arouses you to love.”
As much as I like to think (in fact, I overthink way too often), I realize this is excellent advice. If we do what arouses us to “love much,” then we are walking on the right path.
Happy Love Season to each and every one of you!
Nicole Crone 
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