Old rites for young love; Roman fertility festival wilder than Valentine's.(FAMILY TIMES)

From: The Washington Times | Date: February 11, 2007 | Copyright information

Byline: Gabriella Boston, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Getting that box of chocolate for a loved one? Maybe a greeting card or even flowers?

Well, that's all good and well in today's world, but in ancient Rome, that would have been pretty lame, to say the least, for a mid-February love celebration.

On Feb. 15, the day of the Lupercalia fertility festival, young men would run through the streets of ancient Rome with bloodied strips of goat hide, probably fr...

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