Roman festival of Lupercalia.

[randomness]

From http://londonpicaresque.blogspot.com/2005/02/palatine-hill.html (from my friend Katherine's blog, syndicated as london_kate:

"Way back when, 15 February was celebrated in honor of either Lupercus, Rumina, Inuus or Faunus. Never the sort to let spiritual ambiguities stand in the way of a good streaking festival, the Romans involved two young noblemen being stripped naked on the Palatine Hill, rubbed down with scented oils, and sent running through the streets of Rome with sticks and goatskin lashes, smacking whomever they came across. And if one of their lash-ees happened to be a nubile young lady? It was supposed to INCREASE HER FERTILITY."

Comments

[rosminah.livejournal.com]

That sounds similar to a Czech custom I'd heard about, but around easter. Young men run around with willow whips, or some such small woody whip, and chase the young nubile ladies. If they got one, the lady had to give them a decorated egg. Then something about courtship and fertility...
Personally, this seems a little unfair to me.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Personally, this seems a little unfair to me.

Yah, it does, doesn't it.

[nafe.livejournal.com]

Someone should start a website where you can order a greased up Roman to run after you (or someone else) wipping you with goatskin lashes. All the better if it can get up and running by April 1.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, what a great idea!

Not to be pedantic but....

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

I hate to disappoint Colby, but I should note that the young Roman noblemen (20 of them) were wearing goatskin loincloths, and that most of the women crowding the streets were older women who had problems carrying to term or conceiving at all.

The amazing thing about the Lupercalia is that it did persist well into the Christian era - till the end of the 5th century CE, in fact. And somewhat similar races of prostitutes (and Jews, sadly) persisted well into the 18th and 19th centuries in Italy and the southern Mediterranean.

Re: Not to be pedantic but....

[nafe.livejournal.com]

So, what? Are you saying Jews don't look good naked?

Re: Not to be pedantic but....

[orichalcum.livejournal.com]

No...but it was used as a device of public humiliation and mockery, and they'd deliberately pick the oldest and fattest Jewish men and throw things at them as they raced. I'm saying it's really icky to make old fat Jews run naked while insulting them, that's all. Very different if it was a race for _young_ Jewish men...

--Orichalcum, still traumatized by the naked Supreme Court page in America: The Book

Re: Not to be pedantic but....

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Actually, I was hoping you'd post.

I figured you'd find the combination of Rome and sex difficult to resist. :)

Re: Not to be pedantic but....

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

I believe that there is also a similar ritual in parts of Morocco. I think it is still being practiced. I have a CD of The Master Musicians of Jajouka, the music that is played during it, and the insert includes a couple of pictures.