It’s that day of the year again, when people around the world are told it’s time to show their love. In some countries, Valentine’s Day typically means bouquets, balloons, and emotional public displays. For others, it can provoke calls for greater modesty.
In China, Valentine’s Day celebrants are shopping for huge rose bouquets. In Iraq, stuffed toys are on sale. In India, protestors have called for a stop to the day’s festivities. In Pakistan, a court ruled to ban Valentine’s Day celebrations altogether. And in Thailand, couples at the altar received gifts of prenatal folic acid from their government, to promote the country’s birth rate.
A worker helps his customer carry a bouquet of roses in Beijing on Valentine’s Day. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A man carries a bouquet of Valentine’s Day roses at the flower market in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A vendor sells balloons on Valentine’s Day in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Stuffed Valentine’s Day toys in Iraq. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)
An elderly woman buys flowers in Calcutta, India. (EPA/Piyal Adhikary)
Protests by right-wing groups, who say they’re defending traditional Indian values, have become an annual event on Valentine’s Day in India. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Activists of India’s right-wing Bajrang Dal shout slogans against Valentine’s Day during a protest in Hyderabad, India, Feb. 14, 2017. (AP Photo /Mahesh Kumar A.)
A man picks a bouquet in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo)
A pro-life advocate offers candies in exchange for condoms in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Newly-wed couples release pigeons after a mass wedding in Rosario, south of Manila. (Reuters/Romeo Ranoco)
A Thai officer give out prenatal vitamins containing folic acid and iron to newlyweds in Bangkok, Thailand. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
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