A festival said to be of Juno Februata or Juno Februa, though it does not appear in

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

's ''

Fasti In ancient Rome, the ''fasti'' (Latin plural) were chronological or calendar-based lists, or other diachronic records or plans of official and religiously sanctioned events. After Rome's decline, the word ''fasti'' continued to be used for simil ...

'', was described by

Alban Butler Alban Butler (13 October 171015 May 1773) was an English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer. Biography Alban Butler was born in 1710, at Appletree, Aston le Walls, Northamptonshire, the second son of Simon Butler, Esq. His father died when ...

, famous as the author of ''Butler's Lives of Saints'', who presented an aspect of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Lupercalia Lupercalia was a pastoral festival of Ancient Rome observed annually on February 15 to purify the city, promoting health and fertility. Lupercalia was also known as ''dies Februatus'', after the purification instruments called ''februa'', the ...

as a festival of a "Juno Februata", under the heading of February 14: :To abolish the heathens lewd superstitious custom of boys drawing the names of girls, in honour of their goddess Februata Juno, on the fifteenth of this month, several zealous pastors substituted the names of saints in billets, given on this day. Jack Oruch, who noted Butler's inventive confusion, noted that it was embellished by Francis Douce, in ''Illustrations of Shakespeare, and of Ancient Manners'', new ed. London, 1839, p 470, who took such a festival for the Lupercalia, which was celebrated, he asserted, :during a great art of the month of February.... in honour of Pan and

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

... On this occasion, amidst a variety of ceremonies, the names of young women were put into a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed." Douce repeated Butler's description of the attempt to substitute saint's names, and concluded that "as the festival of the ''Lupercalia'' had commenced about the middle of February, he Christiansappear to have chosen Saint Valentine's day for celebrating the new feast; because it occurred nearly at the same time. The connection thus begun has been uncritically repeated to the modern day: but see

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

and

Saint Valentine Saint Valentine ( it, San Valentino; la, Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his Saints' Day has been associated with a ...

. The epithet or divine

cognomen A ''cognomen'' (; plural ''cognomina''; from ''con-'' "together with" and ''(g)nomen'' "name") was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became here ...

of Juno Purified and Purifying, ''Juno Februata, Februlis, Februta'' or ''Februalis'' is noted in William Smith, (1870) 1898. ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' with a reference to

Sextus Pompeius Festus Sextus Pompeius Festus, usually known simply as Festus, was a Roman grammarian who probably flourished in the later 2nd century AD, perhaps at Narbo (Narbonne) in Gaul. Work He made a 20-volume epitome of Verrius Flaccus's voluminous and encyclop ...

''Februarius'', to

's poem on the Roman festivals, ''

'', ii.441, which however refers to Juno Lucina in the context of restoring the fertility of Roman women and to

Arnobius Arnobius (died c. 330) was an early Christian apologist of Berber origin during the reign of Diocletian (284–305). According to Jerome's ''Chronicle,'' Arnobius, before his conversion, was a distinguished Numidian rhetorician at Sicca Ven ...

' sarcastic fourth-century attack on pagan customs, ''Adversus Nationes''. The adjective ''februata'' is unusual and highly specific, unlike broader, more familiar Latin terms: Ovid was at pains to elucidate ''februa'' in ''Fasti''. "The narrowness of meaning in ''febrare'', no synonym of ''purgare'' or even of ''lustrare'' suggests borrowing, an importation which never had a place in the popular language," Joshua Whatmough remarked. He noted that

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

''De lingua latina'' vi.12. considered it

Sabine The Sabines (; lat, Sabini; it, Sabini, all exonyms) were an Italic people who lived in the central Apennine Mountains of the ancient Italian Peninsula, also inhabiting Latium north of the Anio before the founding of Rome. The Sabines di ...

in origin.

Notes

{{reflist Lupercalia Juno (mythology)