Be it flowers, cards, chocolate, teddy bears, a massage, romantic dinners, lingerie, or even a singing telegram, some token of affection is definitely expected by romantics everywhere from their beloved on Valentine's Day.

Those who find themselves in an unattached state sardonically refer to Feb. 14 as "Singles Awareness Day." Those who are in a new relationship don't want to come on too strong, but still want to acknowledge the day. And those who have enjoyed a lengthy union may make the fatal mistake of assuming their partner knows how much they care and proceed to take the minimalist route — which is why the day after Valentine's Day is often a profitable one for florists.

As saints go, not a lot is known about Valentine. Some say he was a priest in third-century Rome who performed marriages for young men and women on the sly, since the emperor had decided unmarried men made better soldiers and hence forbad matrimony. There would be a festival in mid-February where the names of all the young women in town would be placed in a box and the young men would line up, draw a name, and voilà! The woman drawn would be his mate for the next year, after which the whole procedure would take place again.

Some young men were none too keen on their picks, the story goes, putting Valentine's services in high demand.

Another account says that he was jailed for going against the emperor and, while incarcerated, fell in love with the jailer's daughter, slipping her romantic notes signed, "I am your Valentine," which has remained a favorite signature over the centuries.

Since February was hailed as the onset of spring, and Lupercalia was held in honor of the Roman god of agriculture, Faunus, a third version has the church trying to woo the pagans away from their traditional celebration of spring by initiating a rival feast day honoring St. Valentine. (The church must have had a tough time competing with the sacrificed goat whose hide all the women wanted to touch as it was carried through the streets during the festivities; they believed contact with it guaranteed their fertility.)

And then there were the French and the English in later times, who simply declared that birds began their mating rituals on Feb. 14 — so why shouldn't the humans also join in the fun and commemorate that day as one of courtship?

Meanwhile, back in 19th-century America, the Valentine card was born. The Valentine was a fluttery confection of lace and ribbons, whimsical collages of red hearts and chubby cupids and songbirds, lovingly constructed and often sent anonymously. Today, more than a billion Valentines are sent annually, with 85 percent of the senders women.