BUENOS AIRES, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- The amount of official weddings doubled on Thursday on Valentine's Day in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires.

    Buenos Aires' civil wedding registry normally has an average of 56 marriages per day but on Thursday it foresees that this number would be some 119 weddings, since many couples pick this day to officially formalize their relationships.

    The restaurant sector also earned a lot of money on Thursday, because 75 percent of the restaurant tables in Buenos Aires were reserved in advance.

    February 14, Valentine's Day, was a disregarded festivity in Argentina but business advertisement has made it more popular in this South American country.

    On this Valentine's Day, the sales of presents increased 16 percent compared with the same day of 2007.

    Meanwhile, Argentina's Social Development Ministry will take advantage of this special day of love and friendship to hand over free condoms and contraceptive information to inhabitants in this city.