Doves are a modern Valentine’s Day symbol alongside hearts and Cupid.
The dove’s association with love draws on its reputation as a gentle, pair-bonding bird and on older artistic traditions that connect doves with affection, peace, and devotion. In Valentine’s imagery, a pair of doves can suggest faithful partners, while a single white dove often represents purity or peace. The bird is therefore part of the holiday’s broader symbolic vocabulary rather than a reference to one specific Saint Valentine legend.
Valentine’s Day itself began as a Christian feast associated with one or more saints named Valentine, commemorated in Western Christianity on 14 February. Its romantic meaning developed much later, particularly through medieval ideas of courtly love. Geoffrey Chaucer’s 1382 poem The Parliament of Fowls is often cited as the first recorded literary association between the feast and romantic pairing, portraying birds choosing their mates.
Doves are sometimes confused with other romantic birds, especially lovebirds or swans. Swans are also associated with devotion, but the standard list of modern Valentine’s Day symbols specifically includes doves, the heart-shaped outline, and winged Cupid.