Here in the United States, we know Valentine’s Day as the day of Love. A day that is full of hearts, chocolates, flowers and heart-shaped candies. What you may not know about the holiday, is how it is (and isn’t) celebrated throughout the world. Since the holiday only started to emerge in the last couple hundred years, many cultures already had their own versions of Valentine’s Day or days dedicated to romantic love.
For example, in Brazil Dia dos Namorados (“Lover’s Day”) is celebrated on the 12th of June, thought to be celebrated then as it is the day before Saint Anthony’s day, who is known as the “marriage saint”, and Colombia celebrates Dia del amor y la amistad on the third Saturday in September.
In Japan on Valentine’s Day, there is the custom of women giving chocolates to men. In contrast to western countries, gifts like greeting cards, candies, flowers, or dinner dates are uncommon. White Day, which began in Japan in 1978 has since spread and is observed in several other Asian countries. The holiday was started as an “answer day” to Valentine’s Day, where men pay back the women who gave them chocolate or any gifts on Valentine’s Day.
Much like Japan, in South Korea the women also give the men chocolate as a sign of affection as traditionally in this nation, with the men giving a gift the following month during White Day. And to not leave out any single people, South Koreans have Black Day (April 14) where those who did not receive anything on Valentine’s Day or White Day go to a Chinese-Korean restaurant to eat jajangmyeon (black noodles) and lament about being single. Another day celebrated in the country is Pepero Day (November 11), where couples give each other Pepero cookies.
In China, there is a different day called Qixi Festival (sometimes known as the “Chinese Valentine’s Day”), which means “The Night of Sevens.” The reason for the meaning comes from the celebration taking place on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. In Chinese mythology, the romantic tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are normally separated by the silvery river but are allowed to meet by crossing the river on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. In recent years, young people in China have also started celebrating White Day.
Taiwan celebrates both Valentine’s Day and White Day, but the situation is reversed compared to Japan and South Korea, with the men giving women gifts on Valentine’s Day and women giving men gifts on White Day.
In the Philippines, the holiday is called Araw ng mga Puso and is celebrated in a way similar to the West. It is the most popular day for weddings, with some locals even offering mass ceremonies for no charge.
Surprisingly, Singaporeans are among the biggest spenders on Valentine’s Day, with about 60% of Singaporeans indicating that they would spend between $100 and $500 leading up to the holiday season.
Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or some other day of love, happy celebrations and love to you all!