Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and while we’re looking forward to it, other countries have their own versions of Valentine’s Day as well! From colourful street festivals to traditional ceremonies, here’s a look at how the world celebrates their own versions of Valentine’s Day.
Origins
Established to honor St Valentine of Rome, who officiated weddings for soldiers forbidden to love, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romance. It has found its place in modern society and continues to be a holiday celebrated globally.
White Day
In Japanese and Korean culture, Valentine’s Day doesn’t just end on the 14th of February. To thank the other person for giving them gifts on Valentines’, White Day is an occasion where it’s the other person’s turn to receive gifts and surprises. Traditionally meant as a day where men shower women with gifts and chocolates, it’s a sweet gesture of love and appreciation. And for those who are single, Black Day is when singles who didn’t get a valentine dress in black and eat black noodles. There’s something for everyone in Korea’s Valentine’s Day tradition!
St Dwynwen’s Day
Wales doesn’t traditionally celebrate Valentine’s Day. Instead, they celebrate St Dwynwen's Day, named for St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers on the 25th of February. St Dwynen was a Welsh princess who was unlucky in love and wished to become a nun, but also wished for true lovers to find their happiness. It’s an interesting twist to the traditional Valentine’s Day story, and is celebrated the same way, just on a different date!
Qixi Festival
In China, its Valentine’s Day equivalent is the Qixi Festival celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month in the Chinese calendar (August 25th). A Chinese legend tells the star-crossed love story of a cowherd and a weaver girl banned from seeing each other that reunite every seventh month for a day. Single women prepare offerings to the celestial couple to help them find love, and it’s considered good luck to get married on the day itself. In the evening, couples light lanterns and send them up to the sky to light the way for the celestial couple.
Dia dos Namorados
To honor St Anthony Padua, known for blessing couples with happy marriages, Dia dos Namorados is celebrated on June 12. Street festivals and live music echo throughout Brazil as couples join in the festivities. It is a colourful affair, with dancing and bright decorations. Singles put love letters in pots of basil, and give the pot to their prospective lover.
Sweetness Week
If you fancy celebrating Valentine’s Day for a week, Argentina is sure to delight. After February 14th, the week-long ‘Sweetness Week’ celebration begins in July. While the two dates might seem far apart, spreading the love around makes the experience even sweeter. If you get a kiss during Sweetness Week, you have to give the other person candy, and vice versa.
Gaekkebrev
Valentine’s Day gets a fun twist in Denmark. People send love notes but leave a poem in the note hinting the identity of the sender. The love poems are traditionally folded in the shape of a snowdrop. If you guess who sent you the love poem, you get an Easter egg from the sender when Easter comes around. This tradition has been around since the 18th century, and continues today!
While different countries have different Valentine’s Day traditions, what unites them is a common celebration of love in all its forms. And if you’d like to experience them in person once travel restrictions are lifted, why not take a trip down?
