St Valentine’s day is not celebrated in Spain as much as it is in other countries around the world like the United States. It has become more popular in recent years, but there isn’t a traditional way in which people show the love and affection for each other. Spain is well known for its passionate and strong culture, and more people are sending love messages (“mensajes de amor” in Spanish) on the 14th February every year thus emulating some of their neighbor countries like the UK.

Flowers bouquets (mainly red roses) are commonly sent to partners, girlfriends and wives. Sometimes other gifts are exchanged amongst couples, and going out for dinner or preparing a romantic meal with candles at home is also traditional. The Spanish are very emotional when it comes to showing their love, and although buying Valentine’s cards is not very popular in the country, people do find other ways of sending love messages.

Virtual postcards through email messaging has become a hit in the last few years because it is easy and instant. It seems that although culturally the Spanish are not accustomed to buying the typical card on the 14th, they do take advantage of the available technology through the internet to express their emotions; the same can be said about mobile phones and text messaging. Even though there hasn’t been a strong tradition when it comes to St. Valentine’s in the past, the easiness of virtual messaging has made it easier for people to celebrate this occasion.

When it comes to say “I love you” (“te quiero” in Spanish), the Spaniards are not short of breath. The language is in itself extremely poetic and colorful, full of adjectives and adverbs that help sentences flow with ease. Over the years, they have come up with countless ways of rewording in many beautiful ways their love messages; some quote from books and famous people, but most take the time to write something creative and full of meaning. It is very important for the Spanish to get their message across and originality when it comes to sending these type of messages is a must.

Also known as “the lovers’ day” (“el día de los enamorados”), St Valentine’s is slowly becoming an accepted and popular event in Spain, and more people send their love messages every year. It is important to note that the Valencian community celebrates it on the 9th October (St. Dionis), and in Catalonia on the 23rd April (St Jordi).