Since becoming Torah observant, I’ve realized that a lot of what I used to engage in wasn’t just non-biblical- it was straight up idolatrous. Thankfully, by The Father’s grace, my past ignorance has been forgiven. Even so, the Spirit has been stirring strongly in me about all the pagan symbols we see everywhere. I have a seeking heart and, with Valentine’s Day coming up, I wanted to dig into its origins. Some of what I found I already knew, but other parts genuinely shocked me.
The world celebrates “Saint Valentine” as a hero of romance who secretly married couples under an emperor’s supposed ban on marriage. The story is compelling- but in all actuality, it’s complete myth.
And it starts, like so many secular ideas, with the Romans.
Lupercalia
Lupercalia was a Roman fertility and purification festival, observed every year on Februarius 15th. The festival was named after the Lupercal, a cave at the base of the Palatine Hill in Rome, the site where the she-wolf Lupa was said to have nursed the founders, Romulus and Remus. The festival honored Faunus, a satyr fertility god (paralleled to the Greek god Pan), associated with sexuality and untamed desire.
The Luperci priests ritually sacrificed goats or sometimes dogs to Lupa. The goat hides were then cut into strips called februa (and that’s where February gets its name). Blood from the sacrifice was smeared on the priests, then wiped away with wool dipped in milk to symbolize purification. The Luperci then ran through the city, partially naked, striking women with the leather strips; women willingly presented themselves to be struck, believing it would increase fertility and ease childbirth.
This was as pagan as pagan gets- feasting, over-indulgence on wine, chaotic and primal.
It reflected a worldview where:
- Blessing came through ritual acts, not obedience
- Fertility was controlled by spiritual forces, not YHWH
- Purification was external and magical, not moral
Later opposition came in the 3-400’s; In AD 496, Pope Gelasius I explicitly condemned Lupercalia; over 150 years after the council of Nicea, and “Christian” Rome was still widely practicing, and that did not fit into the view of Scripture.
The Feast of St. Valentine
In the same decree, Pope Gelasius declared the calendar replacement of Lupercalia with the Feast of St. Valentine– on February 14th. This kind of one-day displacement is a trademark for Rome. The public pagan rites are suppressed, but the structures endure under a different label. Pairing, fertility and purification were never removed from mid February- only “rebranded”.
The Origins of “saint Valentine” are shrouded in obscurity; we know there was one or more martyrs with the name living in the 3rd century, likely executed under Emperor Claudius II (c. 268–270), and buried under Via Flaminia in Rome.
And that’s it.
There is no historical evidence that he secretly married couples, defied an imperial ban on marriage (no such ban ever existed under Claudius II), promoted romantic love or wrote affectionate letters signed “from your Valentine.” These claims come from much later medieval legends, not from Roman records or early martyr accounts. A feast day in this time was also just Mass, not a physical feast of food, or enjoyment. Actually, it was a pretty somber occasion focused on death and honor.
Chaucer & the Birth of Literary Romance
The first explicit literary connection between Valentine’s Day and romantic love appears in Geoffrey Chaucer’s 1382 poem, “Parlement of Foules”. He describes a scene in which birds gather on “seynt Valentyne’s day” to choose their mates. This is the earliest known association of mid-February with love and courtship in European literature. Chaucer’s work planted the seed for romanticized notions of Valentine’s Day, influencing later poets and writers who added gifts, notes and sentimental gestures over the next century.
The Renaissance
The Rediscovery of ancient Greek and Roman texts after the fall of Constantinople in 1453 led to the artistic revival of classical antiquity: Patronage by wealthy courts encouraged art and literature blending moral and classical themes. Artists and writers reintroduced Cupid, the Roman god of fertility and sexual desire. Plant motifs such as ivy heart shaped leaves, originally associated with fertility and vitality in Greco-Roman culture, were reused in art and literature. By combining these images with Christian themes, Renaissance works created a world which secular, idolatrous, and Christian symbols coexisted.
Roses, Chocolate & Hearts
Even the commercial symbols the world now associates with the ‘harmless’ fun of Valentine’s Day- hearts, roses, chocolate- are deeply rooted in centuries of pagan tradition, not Torah or covenantal love. They were gradually repurposed for secular courtship and romantic imagery, continuing the pattern of pagan symbols being reinterpreted.
Roses have long been tied to beauty and sexual symbolism:
- Roses and flower garlands often decorated altars, temples and ritual spaces in Greco- Roman times
- Considered a favored flower, sacred to the Roman goddess Aphrodite
- During Lupercalia, the Luperci would adorn themselves with rose garlands, symbolizing life and sexual vitality
- Roses were frequently used in art and literature as allegorical symbols during the Renaissance period to represent romantic love, virtue, desire & beauty
Chocolate was extensively used by the Maya and Aztec civilizations:
- The beans were made into a bitter, spiced drink (often mixed with chili, maize, or honey) and offered to gods, used in marriage and fertility ceremonies and often reserved for royalty as a status symbol
- After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire (1519-1521), cacao was brought to Spain. Initially, it was consumed as a sweetened luxury beverage by European nobility
- By the mid-1500s it spread to Italy and France, where it gradually became associated with courtship and gift-giving
The modern “heart” shape originates from ivy or fig leaves in ancient art and on Roman coins
- In Greek and Roman culture, these were associated with fertility, vitality and sexual energy. Ivy was connected to the wine god Bacchus/ Dionysus & often appeared in pagan festivals
- The heart shape started roughly around Medieval times but it wasn’t known for a symbol of love until the 1200’s (earliest known is “Roman de la poire” circa 1250-75)
- During the Renaissance period, along with roman depictions of biblical figures (such as the Madonna), the heart became increasingly associated with allegorical representations of desire, devotion, and human emotion, often combined with classical symbols like ivy, roses and Cupid.
- By the 16-1700’s, hearts became standard in valentines and love letters
Why This Still Matters
What began as idolatrous ritual slowly, through centuries of reinterpretation became religious syncretism disguised as “holiday tradition”. But, despite the layers of literary and artistic reinterpretation, the origins remain tied to pagan practices and the modern holiday continues to reflect human-centered symbolism rather than God-centered worship or instruction.
“When cuts off YHWH Elohim the nations which you go to dispose from before you and displace them and dwell in the land, take heed yourself that not you be ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed from before you. And do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.’
Not you shall do in that way to YHWH your Elohim, for all abomination to YHWH, which He hates, they have done for their gods…”
— Deuteronomy 12:29-31a
It might seem like no big deal to celebrate something YHWH did not command, but He is very clear: “Take heed that you not be ensnared.” Be watchful and do not let yourself be drawn into entrapment.
YHWH gives us these instructions because without them, we wouldn’t recognize what is detestable in His sight. Remember, the enemy works through deception, compromise and seduction, making false traditions and man made customs appear appealing. What may feel innocent can still carry layers of corruption and idolatry. Our call is to stay alert and avoid being led into what He calls abomination.
“And not be conformed to the ages, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, and as a result test what is the will of God, good and acceptable and complete.”
— Romans 12:2
True love, kindness, and covenantal faithfulness are not dependent on a man-made calendar or borrowed symbols; they are cultivated daily in our obedience, care for one another and in our devotion to YHWH. By separating from practices with pagan roots, we maintain the integrity of our faith, teaching future generations that our worship and expressions of love are grounded in our Father’s ways alone– not in human reinterpretation.
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