Happy Lupercalia & Valentine’s Day 2026!
We potatoes won’t pretend it’s been easy. This year has taken a lot out of us. Like so many of you, we potatoes are exhausted, overwhelmed, and running on fumes. We’ve found ourselves needing rest more than celebration, and quiet more than grand gestures. And yet… we’re still here. Still showing up. Still looking for ways to honor what matters.
So whether you’re feeling festive or fragile, we’re holding space for all of it. And on this complicated, capitalist, chaotic little holiday, we’re choosing, gently, and imperfectly, to remember that love still matters. All love, of all kinds. That connection still matters. That we still matter.
Where it all began...
Valentine’s Day did not begin with candy hearts, bouquets, or glittery store displays. Long before the Hallmark slogans, there was Lupercalia, an ancient Roman festival held every February, dedicated to fertility, love, and the hopeful return of spring.
This mid-February celebration was quite the spectacle, blending sacred ritual with public revelry. Roman priests would run through the streets, gently striking women with strips of goat hide, a symbolic act believed to promote fertility and health. Feasting, drinking, and community celebration were central to the day. It was a time when people gathered to mark the end of winter, to laugh together, to share food, and to ward off evil spirits in hopes of a prosperous year ahead.
While the exact menu is not well documented, it is likely that the feasts included meats from the sacrificial animals, along with grains, vegetables, and fruits that were available during the season. The focus was not on extravagance or performance, but on community, nourishment, and connection.
As the centuries passed, the Christian Church looked upon these pagan festivities with deep disapproval. But like many deeply rooted cultural traditions, Lupercalia was not easily erased. Instead of eliminating it outright, the Church chose a more strategic path. They absorbed and reframed the holiday, a pattern we have seen again and again with Yule, Ostara, and many other pagan festivals.
Enter Saint Valentine, or rather, several different martyred saints who shared the name. Over time, these figures became the new faces of the holiday, and the celebration was reshaped into one centered on saintly love and devotion. What had once been a loud, communal fertility festival was gradually transformed into the more sanitized and romanticized version of Valentine’s Day that many recognize today.
While we potatoes cherish the spirit of love and connection that still lives within the holiday, we also believe it is important to acknowledge these complicated histories with honesty. This blending of traditions, often called religious syncretism, was rarely gentle or respectful. It was not done simply to preserve culture. It was done in the interest of conversion, control, and the expansion of religious authority.
Now, to be fair, some of the original rituals were undeniably intense and probably benefited from change over time. But we cannot pretend that the Church’s actions were rooted in kindness or cultural respect. These were calculated efforts to overwrite older pagan traditions and replace them with new ones that better served institutional power.
Recognizing this does not take away from the love we celebrate today. If anything, it reminds us how deeply human the desire for connection and celebration has always been, even when those expressions were reshaped, repackaged, or controlled by larger forces.
Love under pressure
This year, love feels… complicated. For many of us, this day might stir up grief, loneliness, resentment, fear. We might be missing people. We might be questioning everything. Capitalism and consumerism have coopted the day, as they have with so many holidays. We might be too tired, angry, and disheartened to even think about “celebrating.” That’s fair.
You don’t owe anyone a perfect Valentine’s Day. You don’t have to buy anything. You don’t have to smile. You don’t have to participate at all.
But if you do feel like marking the day in some small, personal way, we potatoes are there with you. Whether it is enjoying your favorite book, taking a quiet walk, or treating it like any other day, it is okay to take it easy and give yourself some grace. Make a playlist. Eat something warm. Watch a movie that makes you feel something. Wrap up in a blanket and call a friend. Cuddle your pets. Rest. We hope you find some comfort and peace this weekend in whatever way works best for you.
We believe that love is real even when the world is burning, and that it is more powerful than hate. And choosing softness in the face of fear is still a radical act. So is resting. So is refusing to participate in a system that demands you try to buy happiness, be “productive” 24/7, and perform joy even when you’re hurting.
How we’re celebrating this year
We’re keeping things quiet, but meaningful. This year we are making some homemade dim sum, roast duck, soy and scallion udon noodles, stir fried vegetables and white rice. We potatoes love to cook, and we get a lot of comfort from the process. We will also be watching some comfort films, holding each other close, cuddling our pets, and giving ourselves some much needed rest and grace.
Homemade dumplings, roast duck, soy sauce and scallion udon noodles, stir fried vegetables (broccoli, snow peas and green onion) and white rice.
It was so so good!
Below is our itinerary for the day! You can expect our usual blend of heartwarming rom-coms, thoughtful romances, and weird little offbeat picks. And yes, we’ll be re-sharing the Lupercalia / Valentine’s Day drinking game for those who’d like it!
2026 Lupercalia itinerary!
1. Crazy Rich Asians
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Elemental
4. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
5. Dorfman in Love
Final thoughts
So, let’s embrace Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day with all of their history, complexity, and meaning. Whether your day is filled with romance, friendship, quiet reflection, or simply the soft act of getting through it, you are allowed to shape this holiday in whatever way feels most honest to you.
Love does not begin with roses or candlelit dinners. It begins with how we treat ourselves. It grows from the quiet, daily work of learning to care for our own hearts, to speak to ourselves with kindness, and to honor our needs. Self-love is not selfish. It expands our capacity to give and receive love, and from there, it ripples outward into our relationships, our communities, and the wider world.
Imagine how different the world could be if more of us were allowed to feel whole, worthy, and cared for without shame or pressure. Imagine a world where our self-loathing and hatred were not profitable. Imagine how much cruelty, manipulation, hate, and fear would lose their power if people truly, deeply, believed that they deserved better, that they deserved peace, dignity, and joy. That we all do. That kind of love is not flashy or marketable, but it is deeply human, deeply necessary, and deeply powerful.
So this year, whether your celebration is big or small, shared or solitary, joyful or complicated, we hope you can find even a small moment of tenderness toward yourself. That is more than enough. That is where real love begins.
Cheers to love in all of its forms. The quiet kind. The growing kind. The kind that starts within and spreads outward. And most importantly, cheers to you!
We see you. We are with you. Please take gentle care of yourself this holiday.
Happy Lupercalia. Happy Valentine’s Day.
The Lupercalia/Valentine’s Day Drinking Game!
Take a sip anytime:
1. Anyone says the word “Love”
2. Anyone kisses
3. Anyone says “I’m not looking for anything serious” or “I’m not looking for a relationship”
4. Anyone mentions Valentine’s Day or “Not having a Valentine”
5. There’s a meet cute
6. Someone receives flowers or chocolates
7. The female lead is a “serious” career woman
8. The female lead is super clumsy, but everyone finds it adorable
9. The male lead is a “bad boy”
10. The male lead completely changes his established behavior to be with the female lead
11. There is a makeover/dressing room montage
12. There is long eye contact between characters
13. Cheesy romance music plays
14. There is a sex scene, or an implied sex scene
Have you seen any of the movies on our itinerary? Did you love them? Did you hate them!? What films do we need to watch? Do you like this drinking game? Are there rules missing? Is the game too intense? What do you like to celebrate during this time of year? What are your favorite traditions? Have you come up with any new or different traditions? What do you think of this holiday? Any and all thoughts are welcome! Let us know down in the comments and always remember to be safe and drink responsibly! (Drinks can be water, soda, anything nonalcoholic, etc. Please be safe, have fun and take care of you!)