Valentine’s Day is an annual celebration held on February 14th celebrating love and affection between couples. This day is traditionally dedicated to expressing feelings to your beloved by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards.

While sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts is traditional in most countries, Valentine’s Day has various regional customs which are important to gift giving.

In Denmark and Norway, Valentine’s Day is not celebrated to a large extent, but many 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 Finland and Estonia Valentine’s Day is called Ystävänpäivä /Sõbrapäev which translates into “Friend’s day”. As the name indicates, this day is more about remembering all your friends, not only your loved ones.

Thanks to a concentrated marketing effort, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in some Asian countries spending the most money on Valentine’s gifts. For instance in Japan, office ladies give chocolate to their co-workers. 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. Japanese chocolate companies make half their annual sales during this time of the year!

2 months left before Valentine’s day – plan your promotional products for Valentine’s day from now…

(See also other special days in February.)