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Lupercalia conventionally starts with the founding of Rome (traditionally, 753 B.C.), but may be a more ancient import, coming from Greek Arcadia and honoring Lycaean Pan, the Roman Inuus or Faunus. [Lycaean is a word connected with the Greek for 'wolf' as seen in the term lycanthropy for 'werewolf'.]
Agnes Kirsopp Michaels says Lupercalia only goes back to the 5th century B.C. Tradition has the legendary twin brothers Romulus and Remus establishing the Lupercalia with 2 gentes, one for each brother. Each gens contributed members to the priestly college that performed the ceremonies, with Jupiter's priest, the flamen dialis, in charge, from at least the time of Augustus. The priestly college was called the Sodales Luperci and the priests were known as Luperci. The original 2 gentes were the Fabii, on behalf of Remus, and the Quinctilii, for Romulus. Anecdotally, the Fabii were almost annihilated, in 479. at Cremera and the most famous member of the Quinctilii has the distinction of being the Roman leader at the disastrous battle at Teutoberg Forest. Later, Julius Caesar made a short-lived addition to the gentes who could serve as Luperci, the Julii. When Mark Antony ran as a Luperci in 44 B.C., it was the first time the Luperci Juliani had appeared at the Lupercalia and Antony was their leader. By September of the same year, Antony was complaining that the new group had been disbanded. Although originally the Luperci had to be aristocrats, the Sodales Luperci came to include equestrians, and then, the lower classes.
Etymologically, Luperci, Lupercalia, and Lupercal all relate to the Latin for 'wolf' lupus, as do various Latin words connected with brothels. The Latin for she-wolf was slang for prostitute. The legends say that Romulus and Remus were nursed by a she-wolf in the Lupercal. Servius, a 4th century pagan commentator on Vergil, says that it was in the Lupercal that Mars ravished and impregnated the twins' mother. (Servius ad. Aen. 1.273)
~The Performance~
The cavorting Sodales Luperci performed an annual purification of the city in the month for purification -- February. Since early in Roman history March was the start of the New Year, the period of February was a time to get rid of the old and prepare for the new.
There were two stages to the events of the Lupercalia: (1) The first was at the site where the twins Romulus and Remus were said to have been found being suckled by the she-wolf. This is the Lupercal. There priests sacrificed a goat and a dog whose blood they smeared on the foreheads of the young men who would soon go prancing naked around the Palatine (or sacred way) -- aka the Luperci. The hide of the sacrificial animals was but into strips for use as lashes by the Luperci after the necessary feasts and drinking. (2) Following the feast, the second stage began, with the Luperci running around naked, joking, and hitting women with their goatskin thongs.
Naked or scantily-clad festival celebrants, the Luperci probably ran about the area of the Palatine settlement.
Cicero [Phil. 2.34, 43; 3.5; 13.15] is indignant at a nudus, unctus, ebrius 'naked, oiled, drunk' Antony serving as Lupercus. We don't know why the Luperci were naked. Plutarch says it was for speed.
While running, the Luperci struck those men or women they encountered with goatskin thongs (or perhaps a lagobolon 'throwing stick' in the early years) following the opening event: a sacrifice of goat or goat and dog. If the Luperci, in their run, circled the Palatine Hill, it would have been impossible for Caesar, who was at the rostra, to have witnessed the entire proceedings from one spot. He could, however, have seen the climax. The naked Luperci started at the Lupercal, ran (wherever they ran, Palatine Hill or elsewhere), and ended at the Comitium.
The running of the Luperci was a spectacle. Wiseman says Varro called the Luperci 'actors' (ludii). The first stone theater in Rome was to have overlooked the Lupercal. There is even a reference in Lactantius to the Luperci wearing dramatic masks.
Speculation abounds as to the reason for the striking with the thongs or lagobola. Perhaps the Luperci struck men and women to sever any deadly influence they were under, as Michaels suggests. That they might be under such an influence has to do with the fact that one of the festivals to honor the dead, the Parentalia, occurred at about the same time.
If the act was to ensure fertility, it could be that the striking of the women was to represent penetration. Wiseman says that obviously the husbands wouldn't have wanted the Luperci actually copulating with their wives, but symbolic penetration, broken skin, made by a piece of a fertility symbol (goat), could be effective.
Striking women is thought to have been a fertility measure, but there was also a decided sexual component. The women may have bared their backs to the thongs from the festival's inception. According to Wiseman (citing Suet. Aug.), after 276 B.C., young married women (matronae) were encouraged to bare their bodies. Augustus ruled out beardless young men from serving as Luperci because of their irresistibility, even though they were probably no longer naked. Some classical writers refer to the Luperci as wearing goatskin loincloths by the 1st century B.C.
Goats and the Lupercalia
Goats are symbols of sexuality and fertility. Amalthea's goat horn brimming with milk became the cornucopia. One of the most lascivious of the gods was Pan/Faunus, represented as having horns and a caprine bottom half. Ovid (through whom we are chiefly familiar with the events of the Lupercalia) names him as the god of the Lupercalia. Before the run, the Luperci priests performed their sacrifices of goats or goats and dog, which Plutarch calls the enemy of the wolf. This leads to another of the problems scholars discuss, the fact that the flamen dialis was present at the Lupercalia (Ovid Fasti 2. 267-452) in the time of Augustus. This priest of Jupiter was forbidden to touch a dog or goat and may have been forbidden even to look at a dog. Holleman suggests that Augustus added the presence of the flamen dialis to a ceremony at which he had earlier been absent. Another Augustan innovation may have been the goatskin on previously naked Luperci, which would have been part of an attempt to make the ceremony decent.
Flagellation
By the second century A.D. some of the elements of sexuality had been removed from the Lupercalia. Fully dressed matrons stretched out their hands to be whipped. Later, the representations show women humiliated by flagellation at the hands of men fully dressed and no longer running about. (See Wiseman.) Self-flagellation was part of the rites of Cybele on the 'day of blood' dies sanguinis (March 16). Roman flagellation could be fatal. Horace (Sat., I, iii) writes about horribile flagellum, but the whip so used may have been a rougher sort. Scourging became a common practice in the monastic communities. It would seem likely, and I think Wiseman agrees (p. 17), that with the early church's attitudes towards women and mortification of the flesh, Lupercalia fit right in despite its association with a pagan deity.
In "The God of the Lupercalia", T. P. Wiseman suggests a variety of related gods may have been the god of the Lupercalia. As mentioned above, Ovid counted Faunus as the god of the Lupercalia. For Livy, it was Inuus. Other possibilities include Mars, Juno, Pan, Lupercus, Lycaeus, Bacchus, and Februus. The god itself was less important than the festival.
~The End of the Lupercalia~
Sacrifice, which was a part of Roman ritual, had been prohibited since A.D. 341, but the Lupercalia survived beyond this date. Generally, the end of the Lupercalia festival is attributed to Pope Gelasius (494-496). Wiseman believes it was another late 5th century pope, Felix III.
The ritual had become important to the civic life of Rome and was believed to help prevent pestilence, but as the pope charged, it was no longer being performed in the proper manner. Instead of the noble families running around naked (or in a loincloth), riffraff was running around clothed. The pope also mentioned that it was more a fertility festival than a purification rite and there was pestilence even when the ritual was performed. The pope's lengthy document seems to have put an end to the celebration of Lupercalia in Rome, but in Constantinople, again, according to Wiseman, the festival continued to the tenth century.
Taken from: http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/socialcustomsdailylife/a/010908Lupercal.htm
More information, links and resourses available by following sited link.
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Handfasting Vows
Know now before you go further, that since your lives have crossed in this life you have formed ties between each other. As you seek to enter this state of matrimony you should strive to make real, the ideals which give meaning to both this ceremony and the institution of marriage.
With full awareness, know that within this circle you are not only declaring your intent to be handfasted before your friends and family, but you speak that intent also to your creative higher powers.
The promises made today and the ties that are bound here greatly strengthen your union; they will cross the years and lives of each soul's growth.
Do you still seek to enter this ceremony?
Yes, we seek to enter.
In times past it was believed that the human soul shared characteristics with all things divine. It is this belief which assigned virtues to the cardinal directions; East, South, West and North. It is in this tradition that a blessing is offered in support of this ceremony.
Blessed be this union with the gifts of the East. Communication of the heart, mind, and body Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun. The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences.
Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South. Warmth of hearth and home The heat of the heart's passion The light created by both To lighten the darkest of times.
Blessed be this union with the gifts of the West. The deep commitments of the lake The swift excitement of the river The refreshing cleansing of the rain The all encompassing passion of the sea.
Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North Firm foundation on which to build Fertility of the fields to enrich your lives A stable home to which you may always return.
Each of these blessings from the four cardinal directions emphasizes those things which will help you build a happy and successful union. Yet they are only tools. Tools which you must use together in order to create what you seek in this union.
I bid you look into each others eyes.
[Groom's Name], Will you cause her pain?
I May
Is that your intent?
No
[Bride's Name], Will you cause him pain?
I may
Is that your intent?
No
*To Both*
Will you share each other's pain and seek to ease it?
Yes
And so the binding is made. Join your hands
*First cord is draped across the bride and grooms hands*
[Bride's Name], Will you share his laughter?
Yes
[Groom's Name], Will you share her laughter?
Yes
*To Both*
Will both of you look for the brightness in life and the positive in each other?
Yes
And so the binding is made.
*Second cord is draped across the couples hands*
[Bride's Name], Will you burden him?
I may
Is that your intent?
No
[Groom's Name], Will you burden her?
I may
Is that your intent?
No
*To Both*
Will you share the burdens of each so that your spirits may grow in this union?
Yes
And so the binding is made.
*Drape third cord across the couples, hands*
[Bride's Name], will you share his dreams?
Yes
[Groom's Name], will you share her dreams?
Yes
*To Both*
Will you dream together to create new realities and hopes?
Yes
And so the binding is made.
*Drape fourth cord across the couples hands*
[Groom's Name], will you cause her anger?
I may
Is that your intent?
No
[Bride's Name], will you cause him anger?
I may
Is that your intent?
No
*To Both*
Will you take the heat of anger and use it to temper the strength of this union?
We will.
And so the binding is made.
*Drape fifth cord across the couples hands*
[Bride's Name], Will you honor him?
I will
[Groom's Name], Will you honor her?
I will
*To Both*
Will you seek to never give cause to break that honor?
We shall never do so.
And so the binding is made.
*Drape sixth cord across the couples hands*
*Tie cords together while saying:*
The knots of this binding are not formed by these cords but instead by your vows. Either of you may drop the cords, for as always, you hold in your own hands the making of breaking of this union.
*Once cords are tied together they are removed and placed on altar*
Source: http://wedding.lifetips.com/tip/21551/wedding-ceremony/vows/handfasting-vows.html](https://sphotos-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/p206x206/999992_625306130821907_2038621999_n.jpg)  
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| ![More than 30 years ago, a teenager named Jadav "Molai" Payeng began planting seeds along a barren sandbar near his birthplace in India's Assam region, the Asian Age reports.
It was 1979 and floods had washed a great number of snakes onto the sandbar. When Payeng -- then only 16 -- found them, they had all died.
"The snakes died in the heat, without any tree cover. I sat down and wept over their lifeless forms," Payeng told the Times Of India.
"It was carnage. I alerted the forest department and asked them if they could grow trees there. They said nothing would grow there. Instead, they asked me to try growing bamboo. It was painful, but I did it. There was nobody to help me," he told the newspaper.
Now that once-barren sandbar is a sprawling 1,360 acre forest, home to several thousands of varieties of trees and an astounding diversity of wildlife -- including birds, deer, apes, rhino, elephants and even tigers.
The forest, aptly called the "Molai woods" after its creator's nickname, was single-handedly planted and cultivated by one man -- Payeng, who is now 47.
According to the Asian Age, Payeng has dedicated his life to the upkeep and growth of the forest. Accepting a life of isolation, he started living alone on the sandbar as a teenager -- spending his days tending the burgeoning plants.
Today, Payeng still lives in the forest. He shares a small hut with his wife and three children and makes a living selling cow and buffalo milk, OddityCentral.com reports.
According to the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Gunin Saikia, it is perhaps the world’s biggest forest in the middle of a river.
"We were surprised to find such a dense forest on the sandbar," Saikia told the Times Of India, adding that officials in the region only learned of Payeng's forest in 2008.
Finally, Payeng may get the help -- and recognition -- he deserves.
"[Locals] wanted to cut down the forest, but Payeng dared them to kill him instead. He treats the trees and animals like his own children. Seeing this, we, too, decided to pitch in," Saikia said.
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/indian-man-jadav-molai-pa_n_1399930.html](https://sphotos-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/p206x206/996542_623634660989054_1496956370_n.jpg) 
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Litha sits opposite to Yule on the Pagan Wheel of the Year. A solar festival, it celebrates the light and strength of the sun at the summer solstice.
Litha, meaning “longest day” in Norse or Anglo-Saxon, falls around June 21, though it can be anywhere from June 20 to June 23, depending on where the longest day lands in that year. It is also referred to as Midsummer’s Day or the Summer Solstice. If you live in the northern hemisphere, then you look forward to the longest day of the year and the warmth that comes with it. This day, however, brings with it an undercurrent of sadness, as the sun immediately begins to wane towards winter again the following day.
Litha a Solar Celebration for the Summer Solstice
Litha is one of the minor sabbats and, since the celebrations focus on the position of the sun and its influence on the harvest and all of life, it is categorized as a solar celebration. Stonehenge, configured to track the position of the sun through the seasons, attracts pagans who go there for midsummer ritual celebrations.
According to Jeff McQueen, First Degree Priest with the Wiccan Church of Canada, for pagans living on the heath, the focus was always on what the crops were doing and, while Stonehenge might have been used as a way to track the movement of the stars, for pagans trying to survive until the next ritual, the concern was less on what was going on astrologically and more on what was affecting the crops.
In an interview with Suite101, McQueen talked about the difference between the attitudes of past pagan city and country dwellers: “The farmer looks at what’s going on in his fields, whereas the person in the city, if they are interested, he/she is going to do astrology or some mythology, but really, out in the heaths, they’re worried about making it to the next sabbat. They’re worried about getting the crops in. They don’t much care what the position of the stars are.”
The Oak King and the Holly King Battle for Supremacy
The Holly King rules the waning part of the year, taking over from the Oak King until at Yule, the tide turns once again and the Oak King takes over again. According to McQueen, “The Oak King has had his bit. He’s beaten down. So now the Holly King comes in to do his reign. It’s interesting that when you look at the Holly King/Oak king, because it’s cyclical and it keeps happening and it keeps going and [at] Yule the Oak King beats down the Holly King, it’s not a death and resurrection, it’s kind of like a beating down and a retreat. So there is not really the life and death, death and life sort of thing that’s going on.”
Louise Bunn outlines an alternative interpretation in her Book of Shadows: Participant’s Handbook for Paganism 101: “Within the longest, brightest day is the seed of decay and death, just as the darkest, ‘deadest’ day contains the seeds of life and growth.” She goes on to say that in ancient Britain, on Midsummer Day “the Oak King was ritually killed and the Holly King crowned.” (Bunn, 61) It was during this festival that they had the burning of the wicker man.
Honoring the Sun to Celebrate Litha
During McQueen’s Litha ritual, each participant receives a candle, ideally yellow, but possibly white, depending on availability of candles. The yellow, of course, represents the sun. If the candle is white, it can represent the spiritual light. Either way, to celebrate and honor the sun, McQueen instructs everyone to carve sun symbols into the candle and then leads a meditation to “draw down the essence of the sun into the candle so that in the dead of winter you can light that candle and remember that it is a cycle, and that things will happen and it will get warm again.”
When asked for other ideas to celebrate Litha, McQueen suggests, “Have a bonfire. Celebrate the fact that the sun is at its strongest. Light a candle. Go camping. Get out in it. Celebrate the fact that it is as hot as it is. Don’t whine about the humidity. Enjoy it.”
Bunn, in Book of Shadows, also suggests having a bonfire. Other activities she recommends include making a solar cross, performing a protection ritual to keep pets or livestock safe, gathering herbs, which have extra potency at this time, making and burning a wicker man or re-enacting the Oak King-Holly King battle.
Food and Drink for Litha
Late June in Ontario brings the ripening of strawberries and currents. Raspberries are just around the corner. The harvest begins to come in, though at Litha, there is still a lot of growing to do for many crops before everything finally comes in around the time of September’s Mabon, the ritual that follows August’s Lammas. Ritual at this time might include berry-based food and drink, or anything that brings to mind the sun, such as sangria with lemons and limes. McQueen also suggests hot, spicy foods and drinks, such as spiced wine or orange juice with spiced rum.
Tony and Aileen Grist incorporate a round loaf to symbolize the sun in their Midsummer Solstice Ritual in their book The Illustrated Guide to Wicca. Any round foods work well as a representation of the sun, either within ritual, or at the potluck that inevitably follows it. Strawberry pie incorporates both the symbolism of the sun and takes advantage of the fresh, local strawberry harvest.
Sabbats Relative to Litha
Yule, one of the Lesser Sabbats, sits opposite to Litha on the Wheel of the Year. At Yule, the sun is at its weakest in the northern hemisphere and we have the longest night. Beltane precedes Litha on the wheel. A fire ritual, it marks one of the two times during the year when the veil between the worlds thins, allowing spirit energy that is light and playful to cross easily into our plane. Lammas follows Litha on the wheel and is a time of harvesting and reaping what you have sown.
McQueen compares Midsummer’s Day to the pause in the breath after an inhalation. Litha is the very peak of the ascent to summer, where we pause and then begin the giddy descent down the other side. Despite the knowledge that we are journeying towards winter again, we still have the hottest days of summer ahead and the bulk of nature’s bounty yet to harvest. Besides, we are finally able to go barefoot in the circle and are armed with a candle to light our way through the darkest times to come.
Source: http://suite101.com/article/wheel-of-the-year--pagan-litha-celebration-a367789
Posted By: SabrinaMBowen](https://sphotos-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/p206x206/970295_594360083916512_1441188321_n.jpg)
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