From the Evite:
LUPERCALIA IS HERE! FINISH YOUR COSTUME! Don't be shy. Express yourself - the planning committee is going Over-the-Top!Clearly, me and mine fall into the "will dive in hread first" category.
DRESS REQUIREMENTS:
*Your favorite pagan god or goddess (Roman, Greek, Zulu, Celtic, Egyptian, Korean, Norse . . . they're all good!)
*Create your own pagan god or goddess
*Ancient Roman or Greek mythological creature or figure
*Togas will be provided at the door for those out of costume
TRANSPORTATION: We will have a limosine service from the party back down to the Castro, so you won't have to worry about calling for a cab.
THE LUPERCALIA MYSTERIES: The party starts at 7:00 - drift in when you like, BUT DON'T MISS the performance of the Lupercalia Mysteries at 9:30! You'll be sorry if you do!
GUESTS: Any friend of yours who will dive headfirst into the Lupercalia festival spirit with costume or toga and a willingness to celebrate, garage-dance, eat, INTERMINGLE, be merry, and escape the mid-winter blues is welcome. Please bring a bottle of your favorite champagne or beverage of choice to help us manage lubrication estimates!
Their blurb:
Lupercalia in Ancient Rome!And that fromWikipedia.
The ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia preceded St. Valentine's Day, and this year, you should participate in the celebration. In accordance with Roman tradition, the Luperci Priesthood will begin the festival with a sacrifice, after which two young patrician Luperci will be led to the altar, annointed, dressed in goatskin thongs, and then released with goat-hide whips to strike the celebrants (that's YOU!) to ensure fertility and virility in the coming year. The ancient celebration also featured ritual mass dances, performance art, and a lottery in which each young male warrior would draw the names of s/he who would be his sexual companion during the year. You'll LOVE how we've adapted these traditions to modern San Francisco!
I was SO impressed. The four stories were decked out from Hades to Mount Olympus. And everyone stepped up! No one was out of costume, and most took a lot of time an effort. There were a lot of Gold's Gym boys who, in my opnion, slacked out by just going as naked as possible with jocsks/loin cloths/pelts. However, they looked really good doing it.
I pulled out my Neptune toga and hastily crafted Neptune's Trident.
(Ha.)
Here's a shot of Barney (as Adonis), JP (in tunic provided by the hosts) and me:
Michael got my prize as he went as the god to whom all San Franciscans pray: The God of Parking:
Other fun shots:
Other shots on Flickr.
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