Be my Valentine: A worker holds up a freshly made chocolate at the Amel handcrafted chocolate factory near Pristina, Kosovo, on Feb. 12, ahead of Valentine’s Day. (AFP/Armend Nimani)

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Saint Valentine’s Day may now be celebrated worldwide but traditions are often very different — and sometimes have nothing at all to do with romance.

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While in Europe it’s all about couples cozying up, in the United States it is as much about school children celebrating friendship, while in Japan women give chocolates to their bosses.

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From pagan festival to marketing ploy, we look at the rich Valentine’s mix:

All whipped up Valentine’s Day was once a rather violent affair.

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Its origins are thought to go back to the Roman purification festival of Lupercalia when naked young men would whip young ladies to make them more fertile.

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Down the centuries that evolved into only slightly less raucous lotteries that paired young men off with young women at medieval carnivals.

READ MORE: https://aseanews.net/2022/02/14/lifestyle-valentines-day-flowers-chocolates-or-a-good-whipping/

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