Red roses, a heart shaped box of chocolates and a card declaring your undying love—did you think you had Valentine’s Day all figured out? Isn’t it a day to celebrate the world’s most romantic martyr, St Valentine, who secretly conducted weddings for lovers despite Emperor Claudius’ ban in the third century BC? Or is it the day when the pagan spring festival of Lupercalia was celebrated and accepted by Christians?

No doubt it’s a day to celebrate, but curiously, it’s also a day to possibly meet the one you’re meant to be with. Across the world, through the ages, people have gone through fire to meet their partner. Today an online dating service makes life a lot simpler and London dating is thankfully nothing like pagan Rome where young men ran through streets with goatskin thongs while young women lined the streets hoping to be struck by them It was a fertility ritual: the goatskin thongs were known as the februa and the lashing the februatio, both originating from the Latin word meaning to purify, thus giving birth to the name February.

Yes, life is simpler. If you don’t believe us, take a look at the ways in which people celebrated February 14 across the world through the years and today.

BRITAIN

On the eve of Valentine’s Day, unmarried girls pinned four bay leaves to the corners of their pillows, hoping they’d dream of the man they would eventually marry. There was also a custom of putting pieces of paper with their lovers’ names on clay balls that they would then drop into water. Whichever name floated to the top first would be the man they’d eventually marry.

JAPAN

It’s very much a day of give and take that actually stretches over a month in Japan. On February 14^th, women gift men chocolates, ‘giri choco’ for all male friends and acquaintances and ‘honmei (prospective winner) choco’ for lovers. The latter is special and in most instances, homemade. On March 14^th, Japanese men return the favour by giving chocolates to the women who’d gifted them a month ago.

FRANCE

In a custom called ‘drawing for’, young and old people would call out to each other from facing windows and pair off with chosen partners. However if a man wasn’t too happy with the woman he landed up with, he would dump her. Not to be slighted so easily, spurned women would then light a bonfire to burn the images of the men who’d snubbed them. Of course things got a little rowdy and eventually, the French government banned the festival.

ITALY

An ancient custom made people believe that the first man an unmarried woman sees after sunrise on Valentine’s Day would be her future husband. Girls would then wake up especially early on February 14^th and wait by their window to watch a man pass by!

CHINA

The Chinese Valentine’s Day has the most magical and romantic story behind it. It isn’t celebrated on February—instead it falls on the 7^th day of the 7^th lunar month in the Chinese calendar. Legend has it that an estranged cowherd reunites with his fairy wife once a year on the 7^th day of 7^th lunar month. On this day, unmarried women test their maturity by trying to float a needle on a water surface. If the needle doesn’t sink, it’s a sign that she is eligible enough to find a husband and will be granted any one wish.