What is it with the Canarians and Valentine's Day??

[Nova]

All day customers have been wishing me a happy Valentine's day, as though it were Christmas or New Year.  WTF??    They really seem to go for it, as though it's some kind of national celebration.  Has anyone else come across this here?  I'm all for passing on best wishes and merriment, but customers, male and female, wishing me happy valentines and felicidades - that's just wrong 

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Geez Nova how timely!  We've just come back from dinner at our local restaurant which is very popular and frequented by people from all parts, tourists, residents, vecinos, you name it.

It was heaving tonight!  You could tell the valentine's couples and there were a lot of double dates.  Just before we left a couple arrived and were shown to their table where there was a bouquet waiting for her which he had organised earlier.  Cue lots of hugging and smooching (and one man who will get lucky tonight). 

We don't make a big deal out of it and truly I cannot remember if we ever went out on Valentine's night here.  Tonight was interesting.

[Pelinor]

One word 'Marketing' 

[Janet]

and a Catholic saint ....

[Michael]

and a Catholic saint ....

A quiz question on local radio here the other day, 'What saint was Valentine's Day named after?' 

[Janet]

[poker]

The spanish matcho tipes who want to make up in one day all they did wrong all year...

We were accedently in the (small) flowershop in El frailleand it was full of boukets made with an I love you bunny rabbit or bear for 50€ a pot!
A guy came in asked price but they where already all orderd and sold .
No crisis for valentine i think here . . . .

[Janet]

it suggests a sentimentality and emotionality that's sickly sweet, to me. We've never even acknowledged it, other than humorously, and even then only occasionally.

Maybe Poker is right. It's like Sundays ... a day when you can put right your wrongs and then back to behaving badly for the rest of the time.