France

Paris is regarded as one of the world's most romantic cities. With a reputation as one of the world's most romantic countries, it's no surprise that France has long celebrated Valentine's Day as a day for lovers. The first Valentine's Day card is supposed to have started in France in 1415, when Charles, Duke of Orleans, was imprisoned in the Tower of London and wrote love letters to his wife. Valentine's Day cards are still a popular practice in France and around the world today.

The loterie d'amour, or "love drawing" was another traditional Valentine's Day celebration in France. Men and women would fill houses facing each other, then take turns calling out to each other and pairing off. Men who were dissatisfied with their match could easily leave her for another, and the ladies who were left unpaired gathered for a bonfire afterward. During the burning, women burnt images of the males who wronged them and hurled insults and curses at the opposing sex. The event went so out of hand that the French authorities eventually banned it entirely.