Valentine’s Around the World

Source : https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2

            Valentine’s Day is celebrated annually on February 14th. Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world, but it is not a public holiday in any country. Although every country celebrates this occasion, the way they celebrate it differs from country to country. These are some of the ways on how Valentine’s Day is celebrated:

• Italy

In Italy, the “Day of Love” is celebrated in classic style with a spring Festival! On Valentine’s Day couples get together to enjoy music, poetry and exchange gifts like the “Baci Perugina,” a box of small hazelnut-filled chocolate ‘kisses’ (baci means ‘kiss’ in Italian). This box will be accompanied with a romantic quote available in four languages. Also, according to old tradition, the first man a girl sees that day will become her husband and they would be married within a year.

• Taiwan

In Taiwan, traditional Qixi Festival  (a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in mythology), Valentine’s Day and White Day are all celebrated. However, the situation is the reverse of Japan’s  whereas instead of the women giving chocolate to the men, the men give gifts to women on Valentine’s Day, and women return them on White Day.

• United Kingdom

In the UK, just under half of the population spend money on their Valentines and around £1.3 billion is spent yearly on cards, flowers, chocolates, and other gifts, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent. In Wales, some people celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen (St Dwynwen’s Day) on January 25th instead of (or as well as) Valentine’s Day. The day commemorates St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of love.

• South Korea

In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on February 14th, and men give non-chocolate candy to women on March 14th (White Day). On April 14th (Black Day), those who did not receive anything on February or March 14th will go to a Chinese-Korean restaurant to eat black noodles (자장면 jajangmyeon) and lament their ‘single life’.

• Portugal

In Portugal, the holiday is known as “Dia dos Namorados” (Lover’s Day / Day of the Enamoured). As elsewhere, couples exchange gifts, but in some regions, women give a lenço de namorados (Lovers’ Handkerchief), which is usually embroidered with love patterns.