[5][6] In 1993, Valentine's Day was first individually celebrated in Bangladesh by Shafik Rehman, a journalist and editor of Jaijaidin.
[9] Those Bangladeshis who were more cosmopolitan embraced the global Valentine's Day observance,[10] while those who were more conservative rejected the imported western celebration as un-Islamic,[11] in particular because of its emphasis on romance between unmarried boys and girls.
[12] As recently as 2008, tensions between the two sides were high enough that many university students were afraid to celebrate the day on campus.
By 2018, it became common in Bangladesh for romance films to premiere on Valentine's Day and for businesses to offer special deals to couples on 14 February.
On the day, people in various bonds, including mainly lovers, friends, husbands and wives, and also parents and children, students and teachers express their love for each other with flowers, chocolates, cards and other gifts.