This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at McGill chapter.

It’s that time of the year where Valentine’s Day is all we hear about. Everywhere we look, we see hearts, cupids and flowers decorating windows and store displays. We hear about it on the radio as well as on TV. However, we may not be aware of how this holiday is celebrated across different countries. Let’s take a tour of how people in different parts of the world celebrate Valentine’s Day and the traditions that are special to them.

Starting with Scotland, on Valentine’s Day people send anonymous decorated cards with a sweet message to those they love, and another popular belief is that the first man or woman that you see that day becomes your valentine. At Valentine’s Day parties, several games are played such as drawing out a name from a hat, and it is then said that that person is your valentine.

Continuing to Eastern Europe, Romania is a country with many old traditions. It has it’s own Valentine’s Day called “Dragobete”, which is celebrated on February 24th. This is a day where love, romance and friendship are celebrated and it also honours the values of caring and sharing. Dragobete is also considered to be the first day of spring. On this day, girls are chased by boys through a village in order to be kissed, following the Romanian saying “Dragobete kisses the girls”. Although Romania now celebrates Valentine’s Day on February 14th, Dragobete still remains a tradition and is still celebrated by young people.

Moving on to Southeastern Europe, in Croatia cookies called “Licitar” are made and given away to loved ones at weddings as well as Valentine’s Day. These cookies are made of honey dough are usually heart-shaped and decorated with flowers and a mirror in the middle.

Valentine’s Day was not traditionally celebrated in Turkey, however it has been celebrated in the two past decades. Shops, streets, and restaurants are adorned with Valentine’s Day decorations in certain Turkish cities such as Istanbul and Ankara. Some nightclubs even have Valentine’s Day parties, and heart-shaped cookies, cakes and chocolate are sold at many shops all over the city.

In Korea and Japan, the 14th of every month is called a “Love Day”, and Valentine’s Day is one of them. On this day, women give men chocolates to show their affection, and on March 14th, which is called “White Day”, men will in turn send gifts to those women. In Korea on April 14th, which is called “Black Day”, it is said that the men who did not a receive a gift on Valentine’s day need to eat black noodles with their other single friends.

In Australia, Valentine’s Day is a very big holiday. It is not only considered to be a day for lovers but also for family members, friends and anybody they love. Many celebrations take place such as festivals and carnivals, and popular gifts include flowers and cards. Cards are very important because Australians go all out decorating them and making sure they are beautifully desgined and wrapped before exchanging them with someone they love.

South Africa is a country where Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a lot of excitement and eagerness. A popular tradition is to follow the festival of “Lupercalia”, where young girls would stick the name of their crush on their sleeve. During Valentine’s Day period, stores are decorated with many different ornaments such as hearts and flowers as well as African decorations. There are also many parties and events taking place in clubs and restaurants.

Finishing off with Latin America, it is not just a day to celebrate love but also friendship. Although the name of the holiday varies across countries, traditions are still very similar. In Colombia, Bolivia and Mexico, it is called “El Dia del Amor y la Amistad”, which is translated to “the day of love and friendship”. Candies, flowers and balloons are given to loved ones to show appreciation. In Mexico, it is celebrated on February 14th while in Colombia and Bolivia it is on September 20-21st.

Not every country celebrates Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t matter as long as we show our love. The idea of having a day to celebrate love is a beautiful idea. However, no matter where we are and what day it is, we should always show those around us how much we love them and treat every day like it’s Valentine’s Day!

Information obtained from:

http://www.just4info.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/i-love-you.jpg

http://www.mydearvalentine.com/valentine/around-the-world/romania.html

https://www.dailysabah.com/feature/2015/02/14/interesting-valentines-day-traditions-from-around-the-world

http://domovina-hrvata.deviantart.com/journal/Valentine-s-Day-traditions-in-Croatia-512136128

http://asiasociety.org/korea/valentine’s-day-korea

http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-in-scotland.html

http://www.stvalentinesday.org/valentines-day-in-south-africa.html

http://www.spanishprograms.com/blog/2014/02/valentines-day-traditions-in-latin-america/

http://www.indobase.com/holidays/valentines-day/valentines-day-tradition…

Images obtained from:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/c1/2b/85/c12b854abe2bf46fa0d88…