Editing Valentine's Day (section)

===Americas===

====Latin America====
In most [[Latin America]]n countries—for example, [[Costa Rica]],<ref>{{Cite journal|title=El cine transpiraamores y desamores |author=Alexander Sanchez C. |date=February 12, 2010 |journal=[[La Nación (San José)|La Nación]] |url=http://www.nacion.com/viva/2010/febrero/12/tiempolibre2234449.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100215190625/http://www.nacion.com/viva/2010/febrero/12/tiempolibre2234449.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 15, 2010 |publisher=[[La Nación (San José)]] |access-date=February 14, 2012 }}</ref> Mexico,<ref>{{cite web |title= Realizará GDF cuarta feria por Día del Amor y la Amistad |work= [[El Universal (Mexico City)|El Universal]] |author= Notimex |url= http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/658084.html |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140202112427/http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/658084.html |archive-date= February 2, 2014 |df= mdy-all }}</ref> and the [[United States|U.S.]] [[<!--U.S. state-->Territories of the United States|territory]] of [[Puerto Rico]]—Saint Valentine's Day is known as {{lang|es|Día de los Enamorados}} ('Lovers' Day')<ref>[http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/translate/spanish-english/enamorado#enamorado_2 enamorado] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822182336/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/translate/spanish-english/enamorado#enamorado_2 |date=August 22, 2016 }}, Oxford Dictionaies. Retrieved: February 14, 2015.</ref> or as {{lang|es|Día del Amor y la Amistad}} ('Love and Friendship Day'). It is also common to see people perform "acts of appreciation" for their friends.<ref name="Levine2012">{{cite book|last=Levine|first=Deborah A.|title=Love Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Many Ways We Celebrate Romance and Passion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62bv413irSMC&pg=PA17|access-date=February 13, 2018|year=2012|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc.|isbn=9781616083861|pages=17–18}}</ref>

In [[Guatemala]] it is known as {{lang|es|Día del Cariño}} ('Affection Day').<ref>{{cite web |title=Para quererte |date=February 10, 2010 |work=El Periódico de Guatemala |url=http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20100210/opinion/137067/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214222504/http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20100210/opinion/137067/ |archive-date=February 14, 2015}}</ref> Some countries, in particular the [[Dominican Republic]] and [[El Salvador]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.popsugar.com/latina/photo-gallery/39956920/image/39956925/Organize-Game-Amigo-Secreto |title=Organize a Game of Amigo Secreto |last=Benton |first=Emilia |date=February 13, 2018 |website=Popsugar Latina |language=en-US |access-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214073518/https://www.popsugar.com/latina/photo-gallery/39956920/image/39956925/Organize-Game-Amigo-Secreto |url-status=live }}</ref> have a tradition called {{lang|es|Amigo secreto}} ('secret friend'), which is a game similar to the Christmas tradition of [[Secret Santa]].<ref name="Levine2012"/>

====Brazil====
{{main|Dia dos Namorados}}
In [[Brazil]], the {{lang|pt-BR|[[Dia dos Namorados]]}} ('Lovers' Day', or 'Boyfriends/Girlfriends Day') is celebrated on June 12, probably because that is the day before [[Anthony of Padua|Saint Anthony]]'s day—a saint recognized for blessing young couples with happy and prosperous marriages—when traditionally many single women perform popular rituals called {{lang|pt-BR|simpatias}} in order to find a good husband or boyfriend.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boldsky.com/insync/pulse/2007/brazilian-couple.html|title=Dia Dos Namorados – A Day For The Enamoured|access-date=February 13, 2024|date=January 31, 2007|work=Bold Sky|publisher=[[Oneindia.in]]}}</ref> Couples exchange gifts, chocolates, cards, and flower bouquets. The February 14 Valentine's Day is not celebrated at all because it is usually too close to [[Brazilian Carnival]], which can fall anywhere from early February to early March and lasts almost a week.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900628,00.html The Psychology of Carnaval] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130824100723/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C900628%2C00.html|date=August 24, 2013}}, ''[[TIME Magazine]]'', February 14, 1969</ref>

====Colombia====
[[Colombia]] celebrates {{lang|es|Día del amor y la amistad}} ('Love and Friendship Day') on the third Saturday in September instead.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.santillana.com.co/www/articulos/padres/dia-del-amor-y-la-amistad |title=Día del Amor y la Amistad |website=Santillana |access-date=February 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214073424/http://www.santillana.com.co/www/articulos/padres/dia-del-amor-y-la-amistad |archive-date=February 14, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> {{lang|es|Amigo Secreto}} is also popular there.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://colombiareports.com/colombia-celebrates-day-of-love-and-friendship/ |title=Colombia hypes up for love and friendship |date=September 16, 2009 |website=Colombia Reports |language=en-US |access-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214142057/https://colombiareports.com/colombia-celebrates-day-of-love-and-friendship/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====United States====
[[File:Necco-Candy-SweetHearts.jpg|thumb|right|[[Conversation hearts]], candies with messages on them, are strongly associated with Valentine's Day in the United States.]]
[[File:Valentine dance, school (2898490693).jpg|thumb|right|[[African American]] Valentine's school dance, Richmond, Virginia 1956]]
On the United States mainland, about 190 million Valentine's Day cards are sent each year, not including the hundreds of millions of cards school children exchange.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100210-valentines-day-gifts-cards-history-facts/|title=Valentine's Day Facts: Gifts, History, and Love Science|author=John Roach|work=National Geographic|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304054516/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100210-valentines-day-gifts-cards-history-facts/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|date=February 12, 2010}}</ref>

Valentine's Day is a major source of economic activity, with total [[Cost|expenditure]] topping $18.2&nbsp;billion in 2017, or over $136 per person.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/valentines-day-numbers-money-spent-flowers-candy-cards/story?id=45480956 |title=Valentine's Day by the numbers |last1=Andreano |first1=Caterina |last2=Shapiro |first2=Emily |date=February 14, 2017 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=February 13, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=February 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214142013/http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/valentines-day-numbers-money-spent-flowers-candy-cards/story?id=45480956 |url-status=live }}</ref> This was an increase from $108 per person in 2010.<ref name="plu.edu">{{cite web|url=http://mastmedia.plu.edu/2014/02/13/valentines-day-spending-is-global/|title=Valentine's Day spending is global|work=Mast Media|date=February 13, 2014 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303214830/http://mastmedia.plu.edu/2014/02/13/valentines-day-spending-is-global/|archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref>  Purchases include jewellery, flowers, chocolates, candy, and greeting cards.<ref name=":1" />  Roses, especially red roses, are the most popular flower.<ref name=":1" />  In the US, roses are generally imported via refrigerated airplanes from Colombia and Ecuador.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Selena |date=2025-02-12 |title=How Can My Valentine's Flowers Show the Earth Love, Too? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/climate/valentine-bouquets-airplane-emissions.html |access-date=2025-02-15 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>  The most popular locally grown and seasonally compatible flowers are early spring [[tulips]].<ref name=":2" />

In 2019, a survey by the [[National Retail Federation]] found that over the previous decade, the percentage of people who celebrate Valentine's Day had declined steadily. From their survey results, they found three primary reasons: over-commercialization of the holiday, not having a spouse or significant other to celebrate it with, and not being interested in celebrating it.<ref>{{cite web | website=Fox13 | title=Companies allow people to opt-out of Valentine's Day emails | last=Stoddard | first=Catherine | date=January 28, 2022 | url=https://www.q13fox.com/news/companies-allow-people-to-opt-out-of-valentines-day-emails | access-date=January 28, 2022 | archive-date=January 30, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130004527/https://www.q13fox.com/news/companies-allow-people-to-opt-out-of-valentines-day-emails | url-status=live }}</ref>