Valentine's Day may be something that Chaucer made up nearly 700 years ago, but there's no doubt people love it.
After all, is there a better way of showing someone you love them by buying some expensive chocolates and an overpriced card?
No, we didn't think so either. But what is Valentine's Day, and why do we celebrate it? Here's all you need to know.
When is Valentine's Day 2019?
As always, Valentine's Day is on February 14, which this year falls on a Thursday.
Where did Valentine’s Day come from and who was Saint Valentine?
As with any long-standing tradition, the origin of Valentine's Day is particularly murky.
But it is possible to trace the day's origins to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a spring festival which fell on February 15.
When Christianity was introduced, the Roman holiday moved to February 14 to coincide with a feast day in which Christians comemorated a number of early saints called Valentine.
Popular belief has it that one of these martyrs, Saint Valentine of Rome, was priest who defied an order from emperor Claudius in the third century AD by arranging secret marriages for soldiers forbidden to marry.
For that, Valentine was condemned to death and thrown in jail, but not before he performed a miracle by restoring sight to his jailor's blind daughter, to whom he later left a note signed "Your Valentine".
But it wasn't until the 14th century that Valentine's Day came to be associated with romantic love, when Geoffrey Chaucer honoured the engagement of King Richard II to Anne of Bohemia with a poem which quickly caught the public's imagination.
What is Welsh Valentine’s Day?
Wales has its own version of Valentine's Day, called Dydd Santes Dwynwen - or St Dwynwen's Day.
Falling on Jaunuary 25, St Dwynen's Day is steeped in its own myth and tradition involving a Welsh princess from the fourth century AD who fell in love with a man she was not allowed to marry.
So instead, Dwynen became a nun and prayed for other lovers to have more luck than she did - and is celebrated to this day in much the same way that Valentine's Day is.
What are typical Valentine’s Day traditions in the UK?
Cards, flowers, chocolates, romantic mini-breaks, meals for two - you name it, anything even vaguely romantic will be looked upon fondly on February 14.
In fact, any romantic sterotype you can think of is popular on Valentine's Day - think teddy bears with saccharine love messages or anything heart-shaped.
Valentine's Day cards have traditionally always been sent anonymously while trips to Paris to celebrate in the city of love are always popular.
Meanwhile, many couples opt to eschew their mediocre midweek dinner and eat out on Valentine's Day, while gifts for a partner range from perfume to shoes and lingerie.
