ONE of the dates that most, if not all, Filipinos prepare for is Valentine's Day. Cafes and restaurants, as well as hotels and resorts, will be fully booked, many of which had been reserved in advance. Businesses will be making a killing from the sale of flowers, sweets and greeting cards. Even street vendors hawking iconic red heart-shaped balloons will come home with smiles on their faces for completely disposing of their consigned stocks. Filipinos are very romantic, and it is on Valentine's Day that they can express to those they love and care for their best. It is celebrated by everyone, by lovers, by friends and by family.

Valentine's Day was first a European observance. Before the Abrahamic religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam — reached Europe, many practiced paganism, and Lupercalia was one of their feasts. The latter is a pagan fertility festival held in the ides of February through a 'bloody, violent and sexually charged celebration awash with animal sacrifice, random matchmaking and coupling in the hopes of warding off evil spirits and infertility.' And as Rome embraced the Catholic faith, many of the holidays that were deeply embedded in the empire's traditions were integrated, in the process of which a particular saint was honored, and for this ritual, it was St. Valentine.