BANKRATE -- Feb 10 -- American men and women will spend an average
$135 each on gifts for Valentine's Day this year -- dinners and
romantic outings excluded. In the Christianization of cultures, ancient
celebrations were often replaced by Christian holidays. Some claim that
this is the case with Valentine's Day, which falls around the time of
the pagan Lupercalia festival. Lupercalia, like many great ancient
rituals, included a good old-fashioned goat slaughter. The goat meat
was cut into strips, dunked in sacrificial blood and then used to
lightly slap women and crops, a ritual that was supposed to make them
more fertile. According to legend, single women would then place their
names in an urn. Bachelors of the city would draw a name out of the urn
and the couple would be paired for the year. FULL ARTICLE @ YAHOO