Valentine's Day: Pagan Party or Christian Conundrum?

Woman in red glasses holding tulips, looks surprised. Text: "A Pagan Party or a Christian Conundrum. Valentine's Day." Green background.

By Abrie JF Kilian. Valentine's Day Pagan Party

Ah, Valentine’s Day—that annual festival of frantic floral procurements, overpriced chocolates, and last-minute greeting cards, all this in the noble service of romantic obligation. But should the Bible-believing man or woman throw themselves headlong into this celebration, or should they, like Daniel in Babylon, refuse the king’s heart-shaped delicacies?

The question is not merely one of taste (though many might agree that the whole affair reeks more of commercial opportunism than true devotion), but of theological consistency. Ought we, as those who seek to live according to Scripture, embrace a holiday so steeped in paganism, papal maneuvering, and medieval poetry? Let us examine the case, not with the soft sentimentality of a Hallmark poet, but with the sober scrutiny of historical and biblical truth.

From Pagan Rites to Pricey Bites

With a solemn prayer to the broken-hearted and those well-meaning, romantically inclined souls, Valentine’s Day owes its origins not to Biblical love. Unfortunately, it owes its origin to the depraved rituals of ancient Rome. Before Cupid was weaponized to shoot arrows at modern wallets, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia—a festival so unholy that one wonders how it managed to sidestep a thunderbolt or two.

Held annually on February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility rite dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome. The festivities included:

Animal sacrifices, particularly goats and dogs.

A bizarre purification ritual, wherein young men would smear themselves with the sacrificial blood before taking to the streets, whipping women with strips of goat hide—believed to enhance fertility (one presumes without their consultation).

A matchmaking lottery, wherein men and women were randomly paired for temporary or even long-term romantic engagements—Rome’s early version of a swipe-right culture. What could be more charming and appropriate for Christian observance? The Apostle Paul’s words seem particularly relevant here: "Flee from idolatry" (1 Cor. 10:14). The Scriptures are unambiguous in their rejection of pagan customs repackaged for modern consumption (Deut. 12:30-31).

A Catholic Rebranding: From Goat Hides to Saintly Halos

By the late 5th century, Pope Gelasius I, realizing that pagans were loath to part with their beloved revelry, rebranded the holiday, declaring February 14 as the Feast of St. Valentine. The name was changed, the premise remained suspiciously familiar.

As for St. Valentine, he is a figure of ecclesiastical confusion, as there were at least three different martyrs bearing the name—one allegedly a priest executed for performing secret marriages, another said to have healed a blind girl, and yet another whose exploits remain entirely speculative. The phrase “From your Valentine” is said to have originated from the farewell note of one such martyr before his execution.

While martyrdom is certainly honorable, syncretizing Christian sainthood with pagan festivals is something else entirely. The Bible does not endorse baptizing pagan practices with Biblical labels—rather, it commands believers to "Come out from among them and be separate" (2 Cor. 6:17).

The Medieval Touch: When Poets Made Love a Business

Having survived its Roman and Catholic phases, Valentine's Day fell into the hands of medieval poets, particularly Geoffrey Chaucer, whose 14th-century poem Parliament of Fowls suggested that birds chose their mates on February 14—thus launching the age-old tradition of love notes, flowers, and men reluctantly penning poetry under duress.

From this moment forward:

Love became a business venture, rather than a biblical covenant.
The secular ideal of romantic passion overshadowed the biblical principles of covenantal love and commitment (Eph. 5:25).
Overpriced teddy bears became a legal requirement for men in committed relationships.

The conspiracy theorist among us may wonder: Was all this orchestrated by Hallmark?

What Does the Bible Say?

Let us set aside the chocolates and sentimentality for a moment and ask the only question that matters: does YHWH, who has given us His Word as a lamp to our feet, have anything to say about this candy-coated affair?

Indeed, He does.

"Do not learn the way of the nations." (Jeremiah 10:2) – A gentle reminder that dressing up idolatry in modern packaging does not make it acceptable.
"What fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14) – A polite way of saying Bible Believers have no business courting pagan traditions.
"Love is patient, love is kind..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) – A passage frequently quoted at weddings but curiously ignored on Valentine’s Day, where love is often reduced to a fleeting emotion or a commercialized expectation.

The Verdict: Love Should Be Biblical, Not Bought

And so, dear reader, where does this leave us? Shall we join the revelry, or shall we stand firm upon the unshakeable rock of Scripture, refusing to be wooed by a holiday steeped in idolatry, Catholic compromise, and commercial exploitation? The answer is a matter of conviction. If one must express love, let it be daily, sacrificially, and Biblically, rather than under the coercion of societal expectation and corporate manipulation.

If one must buy chocolate, it should at least be free from idolatry, extortionate pricing, and Metformin.

As for me, I shall mark February 14th not with roses, but with the reassuring certainty that true love—love as defined by YHWH—is neither dictated by the marketplace nor confined to a single day.