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Main » 2012 » February » 15 » How The World Celebrated St. Valentine's Day
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How The World Celebrated St. Valentine's Day

On the 14th of February millions of people around the world celebrate "Valentine's Day", which is associated with the name "Valentine". In fact this holiday is honoring one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentinus and it was first established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD.

The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").

Valentine's Day in Pakistan © Anja Niedringhaus/AP Photo

Valentine's Day in Pakistan © B.K. Bangash/AP Photo

A man holds Valentine's Day balloons for sale while waiting for customers along the roadside in Karachi © REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

Heart-Shaped Candies © Francois Lenoir/Reuters

Decorated Shops in America © Toby Talbot/AP Photo

Valentine's Day in Japan © Shizuo Kambayashi/AP Photo

Air balloon salesman © Kevin Frayer/AP Photo

Eroll Escobar kisses his partner Princess Madrolejo as they pose for photographers while carrying a 16-feet and 200 kg Albino Burmese Python during a Valentine's Day presentation inside a Malabon zoo, north of Manila.

A survey conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) from December 3 to December 7 last year shows that only three out of 10 Filipinos would change their religion in the name of love. The SWS noted that the unwillingness to change their religion for their loved ones is strong in all religions, a local media reported.© Kevin Frayer/AP Photo

Vatentine's Day in Philippines © Bullit Marquez/AP Photo

Vatentine's Day in Taiwan © Pichi Chuang/Reuters

Vatentine's Day in Turkey © Selcan Hacaoglu/AP Photo

Tourists in Pakistan © Bangash/AP Photo

St. Valentine's Day in Pakistan © Anjum Naveed/AP Photo

St. Valentine's Day in Pakistan © Faisal Mahmood/Reuters

St. Valentine's Day in China © Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo

St. Valentine's Day in Poland © Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo

St. Valentine's Day in Poland © Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo

A man sells Valentine's Day balloons under a heavy snowfall in central Kiev © Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Valentine's Day in central Kiev © Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Hearts are shaped in snow on Valentine's Day at the frozen lake Bled, northwestern Slovenia © Srdjan Zivulovic/Reuters

St. Valentine's Feast is banned in many Muslim countries because it is a day of honoring a saint from the Roman and Orthodox Christian religions. In addition, many Muslim cultures do not believe in dating in the same sense as Western culture, thus having a boyfriend/girlfriend to give a gift of affection is a moot issue.

Women protesting against Valentine's Day in India © Krishnendu Halder/Reuters

Protest against Valentine's Day in Turkey © Murad Sezer/Reuters

Places / 5547 / by: NewSha / 5.0/2
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