Valentine’s Day is one of the most important days of the year to send greeting cards. It’s the official day of romance, which means couples throng to candlelit restaurants, gifts of chocolate, jewelry, and even the hopeful proposal, though proposers are advised not to make it too public in case of rejection.

As everyone probably knows, the day itself is dedicated to a saint, although no one is sure exactly who that was. It seems that there were several candidates with the same name. One was a priest from Rome, who performed marriages for soldiers in secret after the Roman emperor decreed that all soldiers in the Roman army must be single. He also hid Christians who were being persecuted and converted and imprisoned himself as a result. While in prison, he allegedly restored sight to the jailer’s daughter and, the night before he was beaten to death in 270, he is supposed to have sent the girl a note signed ‘Your Valentine’.

An alternative candidate is a bishop from Terni in central Italy, who was martyred a few years later.

There’s also the pagan link, our Valentine’s Day being the eve of the Roman festival of Lupercalia. According to tradition, the young men of Rome drew lots on the eve of the festival to decide which woman would be designated as their bride for the following year. The gifts were delivered by the man to his randomly chosen woman, but it’s not exactly romantic.

As a date for romance, Valentine’s Day was identified early in Britain. However, older references, such as in Chaucer’s Parliament of the Birds dating to around 1381, establish it as the date the birds chose their mates.

There was also an element of luck in choosing Valentine’s Day in early British traditions. An old tradition said that the first member of the opposite sex one sees on the morning of February 14 is his Valentine. However, to get the ‘right result’, some people would arrange to be taken blindfolded to their partner’s house.

Another fortune telling game involved clay. The youngsters wrote the names of their favorites on strips of paper which were then sealed with wet clay and dropped into a bowl of water. The one who floated to the surface first would be his bride-to-be.

At other times, mutual arrangements would be made to host a Valentine. The renowned chronicler Samuel Pepys wrote of arranging for men to call his wife to be his Valentine, although Samuel was Elizabeth’s Valentine for two years. There is also a reference in his journals to giving his own Valentin a gift of gloves in March. Gifts for Valentine’s Day at Easter were part of the tradition in the 17th century.

Written compliments for Valentine’s Day appear to have developed in the mid-18th century, with the earliest example now in the Hull Museum and dated to 1750. Between 1780 and 1800 the idea really began to catch on, and in 1825 the London Post Office was handling 200,000 more letters on February 14 than any other date.

As with Christmas cards, the commercial Valentine’s card began to appear in the 19th century. Around 1820, stationers began producing embossed letterhead with designs suitable for romantic messages. In 1840, this type of paper began to appear adorned with satin or lace trimmings and accompanied by matching envelopes and even pre-printed messages. The modern Valentine’s card had arrived.

Although the tradition subsided after 1914, sending a Valentine’s card began to gain popularity again in Britain from the 1950s. According to the Greeting Card Association, Valentine’s Day sales in 2011 soared. to a whopping £41.5m, up from £40.7m in 2010.