AS LEGEND has it, Valentine’s Day started in the time of the Roman Empire. In ancient Rome, February 14 was a holiday to honour Juno. Juno was the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses. The Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage.

Valentine’s Day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of ’valentines’.

By the time a Saint Valentine became linked to romance in the fourteenth century, he became the patron of lovers.

Valentine’s Day in many western countries has its cultural and regional traditions. Some of the traditions extracted from an encyclopedia are as follows:

Valentine’s Day has regional traditions in the United Kingdom. In Norfolk, a character called ’Jack’ Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. In Wales, many people celebrate St Dwynwen’s Day on January 25 instead of or as well as St Valentine’s Day. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the patron saint of Welsh lovers.

In France, Valentine’s Day is known simply as ’Saint Valentin’ and is celebrated in much the same way as other western countries.

In Spain Valentine’s Day is known as ’San Valentin’ and is celebrated the same way as in the Unied Kingdom, although in Catalonia it is largely superseded by similar festivities of rose and/or book giving on Saint George’s Day.

In Portugal it’s more commonly is referred to it as ’Dia dos Namorados’ or Boy/Girlfriend’s Day.

In Denmark and Norway, Valentine’s Day is known as Valentinsdag. It is not celebrated to a large extent, but a lot 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.

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 influence of American culture. It is not an official holiday, but its celebration is recognised and sales of cosmetics and flowers for this holiday are only bested by those for Mother’s Day.

In Finland Valentine’s Day is called Ystävänpäivä which translates into ’Friend’s Day’. As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering all your friends, not only your love interests ones.