Saint Valentine's Day or
Valentine's Day is on February 14.
It is the
traditional day on which lovers express their love
for each other; sending Valentine's cards, candy, or
donations to charities, often anonymously. It is
very common to present flowers on Valentine's Day.
The holiday is named after two men, both Christian
martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated
with romantic love in the High Middle Ages, when the
tradition of courtly love flourished.
 The day is most closely associated with the mutual
exchange of love notes in the form of "valentines".
Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped
outline and the figure of the winged Cupid.
The association of the middle
of February with love and fertility dates to ancient
times. On the ancient Athens calendar, the period
between mid-January and mid-February was the month
of Gamelion, dedicated to the sacred marriage of
Zeus and Hera.
The first recorded association of Valentine's Day
with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382)
by Geoffrey Chaucer:
"For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [chose] his
make [mate]. "
This poem was written to
honor the first anniversary of the engagement of
King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia.
 Thanks to a concentrated
marketing effort, Valentine's Day has emerged in
Japan and Korea as a day on which women, and less
commonly men, give candy, chocolate or flowers to
people they like. This has become an obligation for
many women. Those who work in offices end up giving
chocolates to all their male co-workers, sometimes
at significant personal expense. This chocolate is
known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), in Japan, from the
words giri ("obligation) and choko, a common short
version of chokorēto (チョコレート), meaning "chocolate".
This contrasts with honmei-choko, which is given to
a person someone loves or has a strong relationship
with. Friends, especially girls, exchange chocolate
that is referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); tomo means
"friend" in Japanese.
According to Jewish tradition the 15th day of the
month of Av - Tu B'Av (usually late August) is the
festival of love (hag haahava). In ancient times
girls would wear white dresses and dance in the
vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them
(Mishna Taanith end of Chapter 4). In modern Israeli
culture this is a popular day to pronounce love,
propose marriage and give gifts like cards or
flowers.
In Brazil, there is no Valentine's Day. Instead, Dia
dos Namorados (lit. "Day of the enamored", or
"Boyfriend's/Girlfriend's Day") is celebrated on
June 12, when couples exchange gifts such as
chocolates, cards and usually a flower bouquet. This
day is chosen probably because it is the day before
the Saint Anthony's day, known there as the marriage
saint, when many single women perform popular
rituals in order to find a good husband (or
nowadays, a boyfriend).
In Colombia, the Día del amor y la amistad (lit.
"Love and Friendship Day") is celebrated on the
third Friday and Saturday in September, because of
commercial issues. In this country the Amigo secreto
("Secret friend") tradition is quite popular, which
consists of randomly assigning to each participant a
recipient who is to be given an anonymous gift
(similar to the Christmas tradition of Secret
Santa).
 In Mexico, the Día del amor y la amistad is
celebrated similar to Colombia but this one falls on
February 14.
In Finland, Valentine's Day is called Ystävänpäivä
which translates into "Friend's day". As the name
says, this day is more about remembering your
friends than your loved ones.
In Slovenia, a proverb says that "St Valentine
brings the keys of roots," so on February 14, plants
and flowers start to grow. Valentine's Day has been
celebrated as the day when the first works in the
vineyards and on the fields commence. It is also
said that birds propose to each other or marry on
that day. Nevertheless, it has only recently been
celebrated as the day of love. The day of love is
traditionally 12 March, the Saint Gregory's day.
Another proverb says "Valentin - prvi spomladin"
("Valentine — first saint of spring"), as in some
places (especially White Carniola) Saint Valentine
marks the beginning of spring.
 In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is
Dragobete, which is celebrated on February 24. It is
named after a character from Romanian folklore who
was supposed to be the son of Baba Dochia. Part of
his name is the word drag ("dear"), which can also
be found in the word dragoste ("love"). In recent
years, Romania has also started celebrating
Valentine's Day, despite already having Dragobete as
a traditional holiday. This has drawn backlash from
many groups, particularly nationalist organizations
like Noua Dreaptǎ, who condemn Valentine's Day for
being superficial, commercialist and imported
Western kitsch.
In Norway, Valentines Day is known as Valentinsdagen.
It is not celebrated to a large extent, but some
people take time to be romantic with their partner,
or send a card to a secret love.
Valentines Day also has regional traditions in the
UK. In Norfolk a character called 'Jack' Valentine
knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and
presents for children. Although leavings treats,
many children were scared of this mystical person.
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