Veiled girls walk with flowers on Valentine's Day in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Feb. 14, 2006. Valentines Day is being celebrated in this Muslim-majority, traditionally conservative country.
An employee handles a box of chocolates on the eve of Valentine's Day at Belgian chocolatier Pierre Marcolini's designer shop on Brussels' Sablon square, Feb. 13, 2006. Pierre Marcolini, who has designer chocolate shops in Brussels, Paris, London, Tokyo and New York, says the fervor of Valentine's Day boosts sales throughout the world.
Girls sell roses made of silk for Valentine's Day in downtown Sarajevo, Bosnia, Feb. 14, 2006. Valentine's is not a traditional holiday in Bosnia but, in recent years, the custom of giving flowers for Valentine's Day has established itself as a must.
A Chinese man sits with a bunch of roses near a major shopping district in Beijing, Feb. 14, 2006. Each year, more commonly celebrated Western holidays such as Valentine's Day become increasingly popular in larger urban cities throughout China.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, receives flowers from Karl Zwermann, left, president of the gardening umbrella organization (ZGV), and ZGV member Gerhard Schulz at the Chancellery on Feb. 14, 2006, in Berlin.
Couples play in a contest during a Valentine's Day function in New Delhi, India, Feb. 14, 2006. Valentine's Day has, in recent years, gained popularity in India, a predominantly Hindu nation.
An Indonesian florist waits for customers on Feb. 14, 2006, in Jakarta. Although Valentine's Day isn't widely celebrated in Indonesia, it is catching on among younger Indonesians, and vendors have been quick to pick up on the trend.
An Iraqi woman looks at a sales display on Feb. 14, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq. Despite the continuing violence, Iraqis are celebrating Valentine's Day.
Russian singer Sergey Mazayev kisses his wife, Gala Mazayev, as he gives her flowers at the Piazza San Carlo in Turin, Italy, Feb. 14, 2006. Mazayev's driver, Italian Marco Primavera prepares to give flowers to Russian TV host Julia Bordovskikh. Mazayev performs daily for the Russian Olympic team.
A roadside vendor selects roses in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 13, 2006, in preparation for Valentine's Day.
A flower vendor holds bundles of fresh, long-stemmed red roses at a "flower alley" in Manila on Feb. 13, 2006, the eve of Valentine's Day.
Aleftina and Andrey Vasylyev share a kiss in ice-cold water, marking Valentine's Day in St. Petersburg, Russia. Air temperature was 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Valentine's Day isn't widely celebrated in Russia, but is becoming more popular among young Russians.
Mario and Jacqui Pare exchange vows during a Valentine's Day wedding ceremony on Robben Island, Cape Town, South Africa, Feb. 14, 2006. Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, and 24 couples were married there on Valentine's Day. The weddings were designed to turn Robben Island into a monument of love and reconciliation in the new democratic South Africa.
A South Korean couple decorates strawberries with the help of a "chocolate fountain" after they were selected as one of 20 couples to get free ice cream for Valentine's Day at a shop in Seoul on Feb. 10, 2006.
A Syrian couple buy gifts and red flowers a day before Valentine's Day in Damascus (the Syrian capital) on Feb. 13, 2006.
Kanchana Ketkaew, right, and her bridegroom, Bunthawee Siengwong pose during their wedding ceremony Feb. 14, 2006, in Thailand. Scorpion Queen and Centipede King were wed in a haunted house. Kanchana, 36, who set a world record in 2002 for spending 32 days in a glass cage with 3,400 scorpions, married Bunthawee, 29, who set a Thai record for enduring 28 days with 1,000 centipedes.
A Turkish woman holds a carnation on Valentine's Day on the Istiklal Avenue in downtown Istanbul on Feb. 14, 2006.
A Vietnamese florist prepares a bouquet of flowers for Valentine's Day celebrations in Hanoi on Feb. 14, 2006.