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| Country | Description | Continent |
|---|
| Country | Description | Continent |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | In Costa Rica Saint Valentine's Day is known as "El Día de los Enamorados" (Day of Lovers) or as "El Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship). It is also common to see people perform acts of appreciation for their friends. | Latin America |
| Mexico | In Mexico Saint Valentine's Day is known as "El Día de los Enamorados" (Day of Lovers) or as "El Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship). It is also common to see people perform acts of appreciation for their friends. | Latin America |
| Puerto Rico | In Puerto Rico Saint Valentine's Day is known as "El Día de los Enamorados" (Day of Lovers) or as "El Día del Amor y la Amistad" (Day of Love and Friendship). It is also common to see people perform acts of appreciation for their friends. | Latin America |
| Guatemala | In Guatemala Valentine's Day is known as the "Día del Cariño" (Affection Day). | Latin America |
| Brazil | In Brazil, the Dia dos Namorados ("Lovers' Day," or "Boyfriends'/Girlfriends' Day") is celebrated on June 12, because that is the day before Saint Anthony (The marriage saint) Day, when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals, called simpatias, in order to find a good husband or boyfriend. Couples exchange gifts, chocolates, cards and flower bouquets. The February 14 Valentine's Day is not celebrated at all because it usually falls too little before or too little after the Brazilian Carnival — that can fall anywhere from early February to early March and lasts almost a week. Because of the absence of Valentine's Day and due to the celebrations of the Carnivals, Brazil is a popular tourist spot during February for Western singles who want to get away from the holiday. | Latin America |
| Columbia | In most of Latin America El Día del Amor y la Amistad and the Amigo Secreto ("Secret friend") are quite popular and are usually celebrated together on February 14. Amigo Secreto 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 Colombia, Amigo Secreto is celebrated on the third Saturday in September instead of like the rest of Latin America in which it is celebrated with Valentine's Day on February 14th. | Latin America |
| United States | In the United States, about 190 million Valentine's Day cards are sent each year, not including the hundreds of millions of cards school children exchange. Additionally, in recent decades Valentine's Day has become increasingly commercialized and a popular gift-giving event, with Valentine’s Day themed advertisements encouraging spending on loved ones. In fact, in the United States alone, the average Valentine’s Day spending has increased every year, from $108 a person in 2010 to $131 in 2013. | America |
| China | In Chinese, Valentine's Day is called Lovers' Festival. The "Chinese Valentine's Day" is the Qixi Festival, celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It commemorates a day on which a legendary cowherder and weaving maid are allowed to be together. In Chinese culture, there is an older observance related to lovers, called "The Night of Sevens." According to the legend, the Cowherd star and the Weaver Maid star are normally separated by the Milky Way (silvery river) but are allowed to meet by crossing it on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Chinese calendar. | Asia |
| India | Valentine's Day celebrations did not catch on in India until around 1992. It was spread due to the programs in commercial TV channels, such as MTV, dedicated radio programs and love letter competitions, in addition to an economical liberalization that allowed the explosion of the Valentine card industry. Hindu and Islamic traditionalists have considered the holiday to be cultural contamination from the West, a result of the globalization in India and some traditionalists have asked their followers to shun the holiday and the "public admission of love" because of them being "alien to Indian culture." Although these protests are organized by political elites, the protesters themselves are middle-class Hindu men who fear that the globalization will destroy the traditions in their society: arranged marriages, Hindu joint families, full-time mothers, etc. Valentine's Day has also been strongly criticized from a postcolonial perspective by intellectuals from the Indian left because the holiday is regarded as a front for "Western imperialism," "neocolonialism," and "the exploitation of working classes through commercialism by multinational corporations." | Asia |
| Iran | In Iran, the Sepandarmazgan, or Esfandegan, is a festival where people express love towards their mothers and wives, and it is also a celebration of earth in ancient Persian culture. It has been progressively forgotten in favor of the Western celebration of Valentine's Day. The Association of Iran's Cultural and Natural Phenomena has been trying since 2006 to make Sepandarmazgan a national holiday on February 17, in order to replace the Western holiday. In the first part of the 21st century, the celebration of Valentine's Day in Iran was harshly criticized by Islamic teachers who see the celebrations as opposed to Islamic culture. In 2011, the Iranian printing works owners' union issued a directive banning the printing and distribution of any goods promoting the holiday, including cards, gifts and teddy bears. | Asia |
| Israel | In Israel, the Jewish tradition of Tu B'Av has been revived and transformed into the Jewish equivalent of Valentine's Day. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Av (usually in late August). In ancient times girls would wear white dresses and dance in the vineyards, where the boys would be waiting for them. Today, Tu B'Av is celebrated as a second holiday of love by secular people (along with Valentine's Day), and it shares many of the customs associated with Saint Valentine's Day in western societies. In modern Israeli culture Tu B'Av is a popular day to pronounce love, propose marriage and give gifts like cards or flowers. | Asia |
| Japan | In Japan, a cake company introduced Valentine's Day for the first time in 1936, when it ran an advertisement. Later in 1953, it began promoting the giving of heart-shaped chocolates, and other Japanese confectionery companies followed suit thereafter. The custom that only women give chocolates to men may have originated from the translation error of the cake company executive during the initial campaigns. Unlike western countries, gifts such as greeting cards, candies, flowers, or dinner dates are uncommon, and most of the activity about the gifts is about giving the right amount of chocolate to each person. In the 1980s, the Japanese National Confectionery Industry Association launched a successful campaign to make March 14 a "reply day", where men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day, calling it White Day for the color of the chocolates being offered. Men are expected to return gifts that are at least two or three times more valuable than the gifts received in Valentine's Day. | Asia |
| Lebanon | Saint Valentine is the patron saint for a large part of the Lebanese population. Couples take the opportunity of Valentine's feast day to exchange sweet words and gifts as proof of love. Such gifts typically include chocolates boxes, Valentine's Cupcakes as well as red roses which are the emblem of sacrifice and passion. | Asia |
| Malaysia | Islamic officials in West Malaysia warned Muslims against celebrating Valentine's Day, linking it with vice activities. Jakim officials planned to carry out a nationwide campaign called "Awas Jerat Valentine's Day" ("Mind the Valentine's Day Trap"), aimed at preventing Muslims from celebrating the day on February 14, 2011. Activities include conducting raids in hotels to stop young couples from having unlawful sex and distributing leaflets to Muslim university students warning them against the day. On Valentine's Day 2011, West Malaysian religious authorities arrested more than 100 Muslim couples concerning the celebration ban. In East Malaysia, the celebration are much more tolerated among young Muslim couples although some Islamic officials and Muslim activists from the West side have told younger generations to refrain from such celebration by organising da'wah and tried to spread their ban into the East. | Asia |
| Pakistan | The concept of Valentine's Day was introduced into Pakistan during the late 1990s with special TV and radio programs. The Jamaat-e-Islami political party has called for the banning of Valentine's Day celebration. Despite this, the celebration is becoming popular among urban youth. In 2016, local governing body of Peshawar officially banned the celebration of Valentine's Day in the city of Peshawar, and the ban was also implemented in other cities such as Kohat by the local government. In 2017, the Islamabad High Court banned Valentine's Day celebrations in public places in Pakistan. | Asia |
| Philippines | In the Philippines, Valentine's Day is called Araw ng mga Puso and is celebrated in much the same manner as in the West. It is usually marked by a steep increase in the price of flowers, particularly red roses. | Asia |
| Saudi Arabia | In Saudi Arabia, in 2002 and 2008, religious police banned the sale of all Valentine's Day items, telling shop workers to remove any red items, because the day is considered a Christian holiday. This ban has created a black market for roses and wrapping paper. In 2012, the religious police arrested more than 140 Muslims for celebrating the holiday, and confiscated all red roses from flower shops. Muslims are not allowed to celebrate the holiday, and non-Muslims can celebrate only behind closed doors. | Asia |
| Singapore | According to findings, Singaporeans are among the biggest spenders on Valentine's Day, with 60% of Singaporeans indicating that they would spend between $100 and $500 during the season leading up to the holiday. | Asia |
| South Korea | In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February 14, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14 (White Day). On April 14 (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on February 14 or March go to a Chinese-Korean restaurant to eat black noodles and lament their 'single life.' Koreans also celebrate Pepero Day on November 11, when young couples give each other Pepero cookies. The 14th of every month marks a love-related day in Korea, although most of them are obscure. From January to December: Candle Day, Valentine's Day, White Day, Black Day, Rose Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Green Day, Music Day, Wine Day, Movie Day, and Hug Day. | Asia |
| Taiwan | In Taiwan, the traditional Qixi Festival, Valentine's Day, and White Day are all celebrated. However, the situation is the reverse of Japan's. Men give gifts to women on Valentine's Day, and women return them on White Day. | Asia |
| United Kingdom | In the UK, just under half of the population spend money on their Valentines and around £1.3 billion is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent. In Wales, some people celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St. Dwynwen's Day) on January 25 instead of (or as well as) Valentine's Day. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers. | Europe |
| Ireland | On Saint Valentine's Day in Ireland, many individuals who seek true love make a Christian pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, which is said to house relics of Saint Valentine of Rome; they pray at the shrine in hope of finding romance. | Europe |
| Finland | In Finland Valentine's Day is called ystävänpäivä which translates into "Friend's Day." As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering friends, not significant others. | Europe |
| Estonia | In Estonia Valentine's Day is called sõbrapäev, which means "Friend's Day." | Europe |
| France | In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine's Day is known simply as "Saint Valentin," and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries. | Europe |
| Greece | St. Valentine's Day in Greek tradition was not associated with romantic love. In the Eastern Orthodox church there is another Saint who protects people who are in love, Hyacinth of Caesarea (feast day July 3), but in contemporary Greece, this tradition has mostly been superseded by the "globalized" form of Valentine's Day. | Europe |
| Portugal | In Portugal it is more commonly referred to as "Dia dos Namorados" (Lover's Day / Day of the Enamoured). | Europe |
| Romania | In recent years, Romania has also started celebrating Valentine's Day. This has drawn backlash from several groups, institutions and nationalist organizations like Noua Dreaptǎ, who condemn Valentine's Day for being superficial, commercialist and imported Western kitsch. In order to counter the perceived denaturation of national culture, Dragobete, a spring festival celebrated in parts of Southern Romania, has been rekindled as the traditional Romanian holiday for lovers. Its date used to vary depending on the geographical area, however nowadays it is commonly observed on February 24. The holiday is named after a character from Romanian folklore who was supposed to be the son of Baba Dochia. His name has been associated, possibly through folk etymology, to the word drag ("dear"), which can also be found in the word dragoste ("love"). | Europe |
| Denmark | In Denmark, although February 14 is known as Valentinsdag, it is not celebrated to a large extent, but is largely imported from American culture, and some people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one. The cut-flower industry in particular is still working on promoting the holiday. | Europe |
| Norway | In Norway, although February 14 is known as Valentinsdag, it is not celebrated to a large extent, but is largely imported from American culture, and some people take time to eat a romantic dinner with their partner, to send a card to a secret love or give a red rose to their loved one. The cut-flower industry in particular is still working on promoting the holiday. | Europe |
| Sweden | In Sweden it is called Alla hjärtans dag ("All Hearts' Day") and was launched in the 1960s by the flower industry's commercial interests, and due to the influence of American culture. It is not an official holiday, but its celebration is recognized and sales of cosmetics and flowers for this holiday are only exceeded by those for Mother's Day. | Europe |
| Spain | In Spain, Valentine's Day is known as "San Valentín" and is celebrated the same way as in the UK. | Europe |