The idea of celebrating exclusive, romantic LOVE on what we call Valentine’s Day is a relatively new invention, created by the Catholic Church and commercialized by Hallmark and Mrs. See’s. But the tradition of honoring all-inclusive, natural LUST on and around this time of year goes back before the classical era, when ancient Romans celebrated the Lupercalia, a primordial festival of communal sexuality, purification, fertility, the rush of hormones, the howl of the wolf, the crack of the whip and the coming of Spring.

Instead of honoring 'your' Valentine with hearts, flowers and words of love, Lupercalia involved whips, floggers and expressions of lust. In and around ancient Rome, the lusty young Lupercii ritually sacrificed goats, and then ran nearly naked through the countryside brandishing goatskin whips as equally lusty Roman ladies eagerly bared their buttocks to receive light thrashings from the sacred floggers--said to bless the recipients with fertility and health. The early Catholic Church outlawed Lupercalia, replacing it with the relatively chaste celebration of Valentine’s Day.

But this Saturday, February 12th, for those who suffer from the utter banality of candy hearts and baby cherubs, Dr. Susan Block and the Bonobo Gang will bring back the lusty joys of Lupercalia with a VALENTINE LUPERCALIA Celebration in the Block Institute’s new Womb Room (which opened a couple weeks ago on the wildly successful and orgiastic EROS DAY) with whips, floggers, no pressure to be 'in love' (unless it just happens), but lots of opportunity to feel the love and an erotic sense of community. It’s the Bonobo Way.

Brothers and sisters, lovers and floggers joining us for Lupercalia this Saturday include porn star couple Lucy Blaze and Chad Diamond, fetish performance artist RubberNecro, award-winning playwright Michael Phillips, alt porn MiLF Rochelle Lynn, BDSM USMC officers Lord Artimus Foul and Miss Boxcutter, BDSM performance couple Exceter Miles and Siren Selene, with more confirming as Lupercalia draws near. The Lupercalia Drink of Choice is, once again, Agwa di Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur, one of the many fine beverages featured at the always popular Speakeasy Open Bar and Aphrodisiac Buffet. Guests will also enjoy Pocket Rockets by Doc Johnson, Condomania condoms, Stockroom whips and floggers and a fine art exhibit featuring the classical erotic paintings of Scott Siedman.

As Dr. Suzy says, 'If love is going to hurt - as it so often does, despite all the flowery cards and candy fantasies - then you’re better off getting your buns beaten for Lupercalia than your heart broken on Valentine’s Day.'

Proceeds from donations go to help save the highly endangered 'make love not war' bonobo chimpanzees from extinction in the Congo, and promote the Bonobo Way of peace through pleasure around the world.

For info and reservations for Dr. Block’s VALENTINE LUPERCALIA on 2/12/11 call 213.670.0066 or go to http://drsuzyb.com/jk For More About LUPERCALIA, Read Dr. Susan Block’s Bloggamy at http://drsuzyb.com/jj Watch VALENTINE LUPERCALIA Live Online on 2.12.11 and see the pix and video later at http://drsusanblock.tv Learn about the Bonobos: http://blockbonobofoundation.org

The Dr. Susan Block Institute is an international center for sexual expression, therapy and education based in Los Angeles. Founded in 1991 by Susan M. Block, PhD, world-renowned Yale-educated sexologist, best-selling author and host of HBO specials, the Institute’s mission is to help individuals, couples and communities to enhance their sexuality and improve their lives, based upon Dr. Block’s philosophy of Ethical Hedonism and the Bonobo Way of Peace through Pleasure. The Dr. Susan Block Institute is delighted to announce the Twelfth Annual Eros Day Celebration, Saturday night, January 22th 2011 at Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy Gallery in the Soul of Downtown LA.

What is Eros Day? The holiday honors Eros, the primeval god of love, lust and life itself according to classical mythology, and a little phallic planetoid according to modern astronomy, as well as the "Spirit of Eros"--the philosophy of peace through pleasure and the feeling of passionate love. Ancient Greek festivals of Eros date back to 1800 BCE. At the turn of the 21st century, Italian Father of Modern European Erotica Lasse Braun developed the current holiday and passed it on to sexologist Susan M Block, PhD who began hosting annual celebrations, sometimes drawing hundreds of participants, while thousands more share in the festivities online.

The holiday of Eros Day is celebrated every year on and around January 22 when the planetoid 433-EROS spins closest to Earth. Eros the "planetoid," or large asteroid, was discovered by Dr. Carl Gustav Witt in 1898. If 'size matters,' Eros measures 25.3 by 9.1 by 8.8 miles, making it one of the most elongated planetoids in our solar system, the better to penetrate our hearts, and other metaphorical organs--especially when it is closest to us on January 22.

Eros Day 2011 heralds the Grand Opening of Dr. Susan Block's Erotic Theaters in both cyberspace and on terra firma. Her new Erotic Theater of the Mind at DrSusanBlock.tv parts the velvet curtains of time to reveal a stunning visual history of the Institute thus far: the stimulating sex education, the outrageous, theatrical yet spontaneous action, the fetish fun, the porno romance, the squirt salons, the revolutionary spirit, the wild bacchanalian orgies and some of the hottest moments ever from The Dr. Susan Block Show, artfully captured on thousands of eye-popping (and trouser- popping) photos, taken by some of the world's finest photographers, including images and video from 11 extraordinary Eros Day celebrations in the past, with number 12 on the way.

Eros Day XII also marks the opening of the bricks and mortar Erotic Theater in the Womb Room, situated at Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy in the Soul of Downtown LA, where ceremonies and festivities will be held in this newly renovated studio space with 20-foot ceilings, a performance stage, several king-sized beds and couches on platforms, a poker table around a stripper pole and erotic art in various media by well-known local and international artists. Eros Day XII exhibiting artists include Scott Siedman, Yossi Vardan, Alex Filangieri, JuxLii, Andrew Dunbar, Skee Goodhart, Tom Zimmerman, Annie Sprinkle, Betty Dodson, John Evans, Sayko, Doug Johns, Karin Swildens, Glenn Campbell, Xam Paris.

Internationally renowned for its orgiastic revelry, Eros Day at the Speakeasy features a Commedia Erotica cast of characters, porn stars, professors, singers, swingers, fetish models, BDSM lovers, cultural anthropologists and the couples-next-door--all decked out in togas, lingerie, fetish gear, formal wear or nothing at all.

Eros Day is for everyone, married or single; as Dr. Block says 'We are all Children of Sex.' But Eros Day XII will be a very special night for couples this year. Alt porn star power couple Michael Vegas and Misti Dawn will reign over the Eros Day festivities as Eros and Venus (Aphrodite). 'I have always wanted to be a sex god,' says Mr. Vegas as he prepares to be Eros, wearing the traditional costume of nothing but a set of white wings and a very large smile. 'Now I will achieve my goal.' 'I'm excited to be a human embodiment of sex in its purest form,' says Ms. Dawn.

Special Guest at Eros Day 2011 will be Eros Day founder Lasse Braun's son, Axel Braun, winner of multiple AVN 2011 Awards for his Batman XXX parody and This Ain't Avatar XXX 3D, recently joining his revolutionary dad in the AVN Hall of Fame. Other erotic stars who have confirmed for Eros Day include Cadence St. John, RubberNecro, Zoe Holloway, Keni Styles, Lily Cade, Sinn Sage, Paris Kennedy, Amber Berlin, Chastity Lynn, Scott Lyons, Snow Mercy, Kat, Lilo, Toy, The Porn Klown Posse and more coming in as Eros Day approaches.

Erotic niceties include Pocket Rockets-provided by Doc Johnson-encouraging peace through pleasure ('Drop Pocket Rockets, Not Patriot Missiles' is an ongoing theme of Eros Day), Eros Day Peckers and Dolls by Pipedreams, condoms by Condomania, as well as Eros Day Penis and Vulva Candles by Lucky Mojo Candles. Live music features DJ Don Tonic and the Sonic Percussion Ensemble. Berkeley sponsorship by LUVeR. And the Eros Day Drink of Choice is, once again, Agwa di Bolivia Coca Leaf Liqueur, one of the many fine beverages featured at the always popular Eros Day Open Bar and Aphrodisiac Buffet, including Tzepao Sanpien and fresh oysters.

Proceeds from Eros Day donations will go to help save the highly endangered 'make love not war' bonobo chimpanzees from extinction in the Congo, and promote the Bonobo Way of peace through pleasure around the world.

For information and reservations: Call 213.670.0066 or go to drsuzyb.com/hy Read Dr. Block's Eros Day 2011 Bloggamy: drsuzyb.com/i9 Watch Eros Day Live Online on 1.22.11 at drsusanblock.tv

Nevertheless, one does not need to be watching a computer screen or swimming in a sea of naked bodies to celebrate Eros Day. As Dr. Block says, 'there is no greater way to honor Eros than by making love to someone you love - even if that someone is you.'

The Dr. Susan Block Institute is a world-renowned center for sexual expression, therapy and education. Founded in 1991 by Susan M. Block, PhD, world-renowned, Yale-educated sexologist, best-selling author and host of HBO specials, the Institute's mission is to help individuals, couples and communities to enhance their sexuality and improve their lives, based upon Dr. Block's philosophy of Ethical Hedonism and the Bonobo Way of Peace through Pleasure.