Saint Valentine was a popular character in Middle Age stories, especially in the countries of France and England. Valentine's Day is one of several holidays that was allegedly integrated into the Christian calendar in order to encourage pagans to convert to Catholicism. By keeping the Roman date but by changing its religious significance the romantic qualities of the holiday were preserved while dismissing the sacrifice rituals. Although the story behind Saint Valentine is unclear, many of the symbols of Valentine's Day are better understood as universal signs of love. Symbols of Valentine's Day include doves, hearts, roses, and Cupid.
Doves are magical messengers that bring good luck and fortune.
Hearts have traditionally been thought to contain the soul and the emotional center of the human body. They represent love, passion, and desire. Roses are one of the most popular gifts for Valentine's Day but the significance of the flower's color denotes how serious the gift is. Red roses represent love and passion, white true love, yellow indicates friendship, and black means farewell. Lastly, Cupid, son of Venus or Aphrodite in ancient mythology, would play matchmaker to Roman and Greek mortals.