Love is not an emotion of the twenty-first century but has been doing the rounds for centuries! The earliest Valentines were in the form of songs and spoken verses.

It was only in the Middle Ages that people caught on to the fact that 14th February was also the date when birds chose their mates. And, so the trend for sending love letters on this particular date started and by the 15th century, written letters had firmly replaced singing.

It was Charles, the Duke of Orleans, who wrote the first ever Valentine’s Day card to his wife during his imprisonment in 1415 at the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt.

Towards the turn of the 16th century, valentines to the loved ones were almost always written rather than sung.

Today, approximately one billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent worldwide each year, ranking second to only Christmas as the biggest card-sending occasion of the year!