When the celebration was introduced in Estonia in the 1990s, it never really took flight as “Valentinipäev.” Perhaps that’s because “Valentin” is a Russian-sounding name, and this, in turn, is not exactly associated with friendliness or amicability in that corner of the world. The female form of the name, Valentina, for that matter, would immediately lead the thoughts of my generation away from anything romantic, straight to space and heroic deeds, to the first ever woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova. Also, not quite the association one might expect.
