The day when chocolates and flowers are given to that special someone has arrived again. Couples around the world retreat to spend time alone on this romantic holiday.
Valentine's Day, named after the many Christian martyrs of the 12th century, is celebrated not only in the United States but all over the world by Western influenced cultures.
The Valentine's Day tradition is to exchange greeting cards, love notes or candy to your "valentine."
Japan commemorates the holiday in a very unique way.
On Feb. 14, women present gifts to their boyfriends or male counterparts, and the favor is returned on March 14 when men pamper the women they received gifts from.
Candy is given out, but certain chocolates are specific to the relationship one has with that person.
Sam Morioka from Osaka, Japan said, "I remember when I was given my first hon-mei chocolate. It was from my first wife. Our women make these chocolates themselves, but she must not have made hers because we were not married long."
Giri-choco is designated for friends and colleagues, but some women give them to male friends who do not receive anything else to save them from embarrassment.
Hon-mei chocolates, on the other hand, are reserved for boyfriends and lovers, and cannot be bought in stores. Girls prepare hon-mei themselves because it is believed that it is not true love if chocolates are bought.
March 14, the day men are expected to return the favor of gifts, is known as White Day. Supposedly a celebration initiated by chocolate companies as a marketing tool, White Day consists of the presentation of all white chocolates to women from their boyfriends.
Morioka's friend, Akira Saito, is also from Osaka. He said, "I miss Valentine's Day back home, it?is much more traditional and fun for everybody. [In the United States] people only care about couples on Valentine's Day."
The geographical location of South Africa has made it one of the most romantic destinations in the world, and on Valentine's Day, natives and tourists take advantage of the beautiful scenery.
Celebrated on Feb. 14, South Africans evoke great passion and enthusiasm for the romantic occasion.
Young girls take part in an old-age Roman festival of Lupercalia, in which the girls pin the name of their lovers on their sleeve.
Shops and market places are adorned with flowers, love symbols such as hearts and traditional African art as well.
The eve of Valentine's Day is when all the partying begins for South Africans. Clubs, restaurants and pubs are completely booked, and tourists flock to various venues to indulge in the holiday cheer.
"My parents would always go out on Valentine's Day," said Mikaela Botton, a freshman biology major from Aberton, South Africa.
"I lived [in South Africa] at a very young age and did not experience the Valentine's Day traditions myself, but I remember my parents and family members going out. They would go to local restaurants, and my cousins went to clubs."
Femi Botha, a South African native, moved to northeast Washington, D.C. two years ago. He said, "Valentine's Day is recognized in my country, but it is not as big as it is in the United States.? Most people who celebrate it back home are either tourists or teenagers."
India celebrates Valentine's Day much like America.
"We do the same things that you do here in the U.S.," said Howard alumna and India native, Radhakrishna Lakshman.
"Although, mostly younger people celebrate [Valentine's Day] back home, on Feb. 14, they exchange cards and candy and go on special dates, the same as the young people here," Lakshman said.
A fairly new tradition in the country, there are some in India who remain hesitant about celebrating Valentine's Day because of its negative connotation as a western import focused on the attainment of profits from a conjured-up holiday.
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