Occurring annually on the 14th of February, Valentine's Day has become an important date on the calendar for many people who are involved - or wish to be - in a romance of some description or another. On Valentine's Day, it is customary for lovers to exchange cards that express their feelings and presents such as flowers, chocolates, alcohol, jewellery, perfume and soft toys. Although many people consider Valentine's Day to be just another commercial exploitation of consumers, the majority of couples take the day seriously. So, who exactly was Saint Valentine - the man whose name is honoured on the occasion - and why do people celebrate the 14th February each year?

The identity of Saint Valentine is, unfortunately, not very well known. Although most people have heard of the man through his association with Valentine's Day, there are few specific details that describe his existence. Broadly speaking, Saint Valentine is thought to have been a Roman priest, bishop or martyr, whose actions resulted in his association with love and the 14th of February. One of the first accounts of Saint Valentine, however, does not appear in Roman text; indeed, the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493 remains the first written account of Saint Valentine's life. Understandably, this has lead to doubts about the authenticity of the report itself and whether its facts can be relied upon. Nevertheless, the Nuremberg Chronicle is thought to be accurate by many scholars and analysts.

In the Nuremberg Chronicle, Saint Valentine was depicted alongside a description of a priest who was martyred under the rule of Claudius II. Having encouraged and assisted Christian couples to marry, which was outlawed at the time, Saint Valentine was allegedly arrested and imprisoned; however, it was apparently only after Saint Valentine had attempted to convert Claudius II that he was sentenced to death. According to popular opinion, Saint Valentine was clubbed and stoned before he was beheaded on the 14th February, around the year 270 AD. Some 226 years later, Pope Gelasius marked the 14th of February as Saint Valentine's official day of celebration. Over time, this day of celebration became more heavily connected to love and romance generally; in fact, it was a commonly held belief in England and France during the Middle Ages that birds paired up on this day, which prompted Chaucer to write: "For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne's day, Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate".

Why people continue to celebrate Saint Valentine on the 14th of February is easy to understand. According to the popular adage, love makes the world go round; as such, celebrating the day on which a man who reportedly helped persecuted couples get married was executed seems a fitting tribute to love in a broad sense. Love endures much pain and sacrifice in order to survive, so a man's ultimate gift to those who wanted to unite together in holy matrimony ought to be celebrated forever. Valentine's Day is, therefore, an important reminder that love is a great reward for those who struggle through adversity together. Valentine's Day is also an ideal time in which to remind others that they are very much loved - in modern times this is usually accentuated through the exchanging of various gifts, as mentioned above. The 14th of February is also ideal for kindling new romance.