First of all…thank you to everyone who has been following along for my countdown! For those of you who subscribed in the last week…check your email…I sent you a special gift! Today I’m going to talk about the ancient pagan origins of the day we have dedicated to love. The giving of romantic gifts. The day for couples. But the origins of this holiday are far from that…
What we currently refer to as Valentine’s Day was originally celebrated by my pagan Celtic ancestors as the Galenalia Festival right after Imbolc. This festival honored Minerva who was the goddess of wisdom. And with that wisdom came the recognition that being without a man was better than being with one who was nothing but a dead end. No wonder she was called wise…right? Galenalia was celebrated after the worst of winter was over and women didn’t need to rely on a man to keep her warm at night. The women would gather their mens animal pelts and set them on fire and dance and feast on root vegetables until the fire went out. In some groups such as the Iron Age Celts, the women sacrificed their boyfriends then decorated their graves with flowers. Other groups of women would celebrate Galenalia by traveling together after leaving their homes for many weeks in search of spirit renewal after the death of their old relationships. So…there you have it!! Valentine‘s Day wasn’t originally about love and togetherness at all!!
