Valentine's Day originated in Europe as a celebration of Saint Valentine, the Saint of love.  The holiday spread to America, and America extended it to many countries around the world.  These countries have since developed their own unique way of celebrating the holiday based on their culture and values.

However, some countries still focus on indigenous festivals which carry the same idea of romance and love.

Born and raised in Calcutta, India, Indreaneel Sen explained that while Valentine's Day exists in India, they observe more interesting festivals which carry the same idea of love as Valentine's Day.

Sen's favorite festival is Holi, which he described with excitement and fond reminisces.  Holi is a celebration of the relationship between Lord Krishna, who Sen described as the Indian Jesus Christ, and one of Krishna's many lovers, Radha. 

Holi is the only festival where you can actually openly flirt and your parents won't say anything. Indreaneel Sen

Sen recalled with a smile that on the day of the festival, children and teenagers filled water guns with watercolors and sprayed everyone, friends and strangers alike, who were outside in the streets!  They also threw and rubbed colored powder all over each other.  On this day, these things were allowed and encouraged.

Though the concept of dating does not exist where Sen is from due to arranged marriages, he explained that due to the playfulness of the boys and girls on this day, flirting was inevitable. 

"Holi is the only festival where you can actually openly flirt and your parents won't say anything," he laughed.

These Holi Festival described by Indreaneel Sen reveal the richness and deep roots of his indigenous Indian culture.

Valentine's Day in Brazil is a big deal.  Inherited directly from Romantic Europe, it is more like a short season than just one day.

Jonathan Bruno Arruda, a graduate of the University of Tennessee who grew up in Brazil, recalled the festivals and celebrations of Brazil's Valentine season.

On Feb. 10, in preparation for the big day, a kissing contest is held which can last over 24 hours.  According to the rules, the couples must always be French kissing.  The couple who kisses the longest wins the grand prize, which can range from a car to $100,000.

Bruno emphasized that in traditional Brazilian culture, it is acceptable for young people who are in dating relationships to kiss other people.  On Valentine's Day, they try to kiss as many people as possible, which can lead to many break-ups.

Recalling past Valentine's Days in Brazil, Bruno said, "My friends would spend the whole night kissing."

In Kenya, Valentine's Day is important because it brings the country economic gain through its flower exports to Europe.  According to Purity Kariuki, a native of Kenya who is an international student at UT, Valentine's Day in Kenya is only celebrated by engaged and married couples.  Younger people and singles don't give much thought to the holiday.

However, Valentine's Day is very important for Kenya's flower selling business.  Naivasha, a town in Kenya which supports thousands of Kenyans by exporting flowers to Europe for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, was recently ravaged by tribal killings centered on the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki in December 2007.

By Jan. 30, 850 Kenyans had been killed.  The flower farms had to be temporarily shut down and most of the Naivasha town citizens were displaced by the government for their protection.

Fortunately, as Valentine's Day arrives, Kenya has been able to re-open its flower business and prosper in sales.

Japan observes a White Valentine's Day on March 14.  Unlike Kenya, this day is observed by single people and couples alike.  Girls give presents to the guys whom they like and they guys are expected to send gifts in return.  Hiro Honda and Makoto Hora, UT international students from Japan, explained that White Valentine's Day is mainly a "girl's day" and that it is primarily a commercial holiday.

The variety of cultures and traditions in the world are evidenced by the different ways that Valentine's Day, or related holidays, are observed.  India, Brazil, Kenya and Japan each have their own way of celebrating the day of love which represents their cultural heritage, values and traditions.