Saint Valentine’s Day, often simply Valentine’s Day, is observed on February 14 each year. Today Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many countries around the world.Of course you know Valentine’s Day is coming up. And, be warned, it’s huge in China. You’ll be forced to take part.?Funnily, American cynics have, for years, disparaged the day of the heart. “It’s become just a Hallmark holiday,” they decry. Well, in China, that’s the way it started!

V-Day didn’t hit the Chinese mainland until 1993, when three companies used the flirty festival to sell their services. Shoe-makers Lijia threw a week-long Valentine’s Day lucky draw. A Beijing Mc-Donald’s gave a free rose to every customer, all day long. And the Wangfu Hotel held a Valentine’s Day party, flogging tickets at 300 RMB a pop. Since then, it’s exploded.

This year, though, promises to be bigger than most, for the big V falls on the first day of Chinese New Year. You can use this as a way out (“I have to eat with my family!”) or you can make it a doublyfestive double-happiness day. But either way—it’ll surely be a night for celebration.

Modern Valentine’s Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.