Across the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with the exchange of candy, heartfelt cards, flowers and gifts. However, other countries around the world that celebrate Valentine’s Day, or a holiday similar, present their own traditions. Not every country celebrates Valentine’s Day with the traditional chocolate boxes, stuffed animals, roses and candlelit dinners. In some countries, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that even children look forward to.
Listed below are my personal favorite and most interesting Valentine’s Day traditions celebrated around the world:
1. Denmark
Valentine’s Day is a relatively new holiday in Denmark as it was not celebrated until the early 1990s. On Feb. 14, rather than handing out traditional red roses, the Danish exchange pressed white flowers, called “snowdrops,” with their friends and loved ones. They also give one another “lover’s cards” and men will give women a “joking letter,” known as gaekkebrev. The gaekkebrev consists of funny poems or rhymes written on specific paper and later signed with anonymous dots. Once a woman receives a “joking letter,” if she is able to properly guess who it is from, she earns an Easter egg later in the year. An odd but very unique and sweet tradition. I find it charming that love and Valentine’s Day in Denmark are expressed through humor and making someone laugh.
2. France
Everyone knows that Paris, France is viewed to be one of the most romantic cities in the world. Therefore, it is no shock that they have celebrated Valentine’s Day in a traditional manner for many decades. The first Valentine’s Day card is rumored to have originated in France as the Duke of Orleans would send love letters to his wife in 1415 while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. I don’t believe anyone has yet to top that romantic gesture. The loterie d’amour, otherwise known as the “drawing for love,” used to be another Feb. 14 tradition in France until it was banned by the French government for becoming unmanageable. This specific tradition required men and women to fill houses that faced each other, and they would take turns calling out to one another and later pairing off. However, the men who were not “satisfied” with their partner had the choice to leave one woman for another. The women who were left unmatched would gather together for a bonfire and burn pictures of the men who wronged them all while insulting the opposite sex. For a city so beautiful and full of love, this old tradition seems to have defeated the true meaning of Valentine’s Day and twisted it into a day of anger, pity and frustration.
3. Wales
On Jan. 25, instead of celebrating Saint Valentine, the Welsh celebrate Saint Dwynwen, the “Welsh patron saint of lovers.” On this day, the people of Wales gift their loved ones with something unique and traditional called a love spoon. The Welsh men have been carving intricate wooden spoons since the 17th century as a display of their affection for the women they love. The men carve patterns and symbols such as horseshoes and keys into the love spoons, each having a different meaning. For example, the horseshoes stand for good luck and the keys represent the keys to a man’s heart. Although these patterns and symbols are cheesy, something handmade like this that requires so much time and effort makes the gift even more special and is a beautiful display of affection.
4. England
In the past, on the day before Valentine’s Day, women in England would place five bay leaves on specific locations on their pillows, sometimes with rosewater, in hopes of bringing dreams of their future husbands. In Norfolk, a special tradition continues as Jack Valentine, a sort of Santa figure, places candies and small gifts on front porches for the children to enjoy on Valentine’s Day. This holiday is meant to celebrate romantic love, friendship and admiration and I find England’s traditions to be more inclusive of everyone on Valentine’s Day as they truly celebrate the meaning of the holiday.
5. The Philippines
While the normal Valentine’s Day traditions occur on Feb. 14 in the Philippines, one big tradition is quite bizarre and unexpected. On Feb. 14, thousands of couples share a wedding day and large wedding ceremonies occur. These wedding ceremonies take place at malls or other public locations where hundreds of couples come together to get married or even renew their vows. The local government states that these ceremonies are also available to help couples officially wed without paying for a wedding they are unable to afford.
Although these countries celebrate their versions of Valentine’s Day in different months throughout the year with unique traditions, they all connect by celebrating the true meaning of Valentine’s Day, the day of love. This goes to show that celebrations on Feb. 14 do not have to consist of the traditional acts that society believes portrays love. I encourage you to pick up a new Valentine’s Day tradition from a different country or even create your own and try something new on Feb. 14.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Youtube and Pinterest!