Originally a Chistian feast day to honour the martyr Saint Valentine, it’s long been taken over by folk tradition to become a day of love.
What we now know as Valentine’s Day started in 15th-century France where the occasion was marked with singing and dancing.
The now-familiar custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates started in the UK, with the first pre-printed cards being sold in the late 18th century.
It wasn't until the 20th century that Valentine’s Day became a major commercial event – notably when the Hallmark greetings card company started mass-producing cards in 1913.
Here are 21 pictures of how Valentine’s Day has been celebrated in Scotland in years past.
13. Hard at work
One of the card designers hard at work at Valentine & Sons card factory in Dundee in 1971. Photo: W Brown
14. Loving the football
Celtic fans during the Scottish premier league match between Celtic and Dundee Utd at Celtic Park on Valentine's Day 2004. Photo: Christopher Furlong
15. In the post
Post Office Mobile Branch Manager, Rekha Patel awaits customers outside Sweetheart Abbey, near Dumfries, ahead of Valentine's Day 2019. Photo: David Cheskin
16. A romantic drink
The team at Edinburgh’s fantasy-inspired bar, The Cauldron, mixing a menu of magical love potions for Valentine’s Day 2020. Photo: Contributed