The Christian feast day theme continued till the 14th century and changed dramatically thereafter when Geoffrey Chaucer came on the scene. For the first time, the notion of romance and romantic love was injected into the Saint Valentine’s Day celebrations.

It was Chaucer who declared Saint Valentine’s Day as the day to honour true love as this was also the day when even birds selected their life-long mates!

The poem which he composed to honour the betrothal between England’s Richard II and Anne of Bohemia stands testimony to this. In keeping with the poetic tradition of his times, Chaucer drew inspiration from a Christian feast day in penning his lines.

His “The Parliament of Fowls” has interlinked the themes of the royal engagement, the mating season of birds and St. Valentine’s Day:

For this was on St. Valentine’s Day,
When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate.

This has also led to the belief that it was on 14 February each year that even the birds chose their valentines (mates)!