Monthly Wrap: Different Valentine’s Day Traditions around the World
Philip McHugh January 19th 2022 - 3 minute read
By Currencies Direct on January 19, 2022
As we approach 14th February, couples in the UK will be preparing gifts, chocolates and flowers to give to their significant other to celebrate their love on St. Valentine’s Day.
However, not every country celebrates their love in the same way and if you are living abroad it’s important to be able to embrace local traditions.
From wedding galas to birds proposing, St. Valentine’s Day has an array of traditions across the world…
France
Charles, Duke of Orleans, first sent his wife, Isabella of Valois, a series of love letters and poetry throughout his 24-year imprisonment by the English, beginning in 1415, and is regarded as the earliest-known sender of Valentine’s Day ‘cards’.
France is also home to St. Valentin, a small village set in the southwest and is complete with beautiful lands and trees. 12th-14th February, the area is decorated with cards, roses and is a popular destination for proposals.
St. Valentin offers a ‘Tree of Vows’ where you can write a heartfelt confession and hang it in the branches, and a ‘Tree of Eternal Hearts’ where you can promise to be faithful to your partner.
You can also plant a tree to symbolise your flourishing love for one another.
South Korea
Couples celebrate an unofficial ‘Day of Love’ on the 14th of each month.
January is known as ‘Diary Day’ with diaries given as gifts; February’s Valentine’s Day sees women give men gifts; March is ‘White Day’, where men give women gifts, thought to be three times the price of the gifts they received a month earlier.
April is ‘Black Day’ where singles mourn their lack of love; May is ‘Yellow Day’ where couples dress in yellow and give each other roses, whilst singles eat yellow curry in hope of spicing up their love life, and June is ‘Kiss Day’.
July’s ‘Silver Day’ sees an exchange of rings, and August’s ‘Green Day’ is where couples drink soju and walk in the woods.
September is ‘Photo Day’, October is ‘Wine Day’, November is ‘Movie Day’ and December is ‘Hug Day.’
Philippines
February 14th is the day that the Philippine government sponsors a gala of weddings in a bid to encourage those already living together to get married.
This is because marriages are believed to cement families together, creating a stronger society. In addition to the gala, the government also offer a variety of other enticements, such as health insurance, to encourage couples to get married.
Currently, the youngest couple to get married during a gala in Pangasinan Town was only 18 years old, whilst the oldest couple is known to be 77 and 80.
The ceremony is complete with free rings, veils and the slicing-of-the-cake ritual.
Slovenia
St. Valentine’s Day is known as the ‘Saint of Spring’ in Slovenia and marks the return to working in the fields.
On this day, it is believed that the birds ‘propose’ to one another, and to see this proposal, it’s thought you should walk barefoot through the fields, which are often still frozen.
The birds you see provide insight into the type of person you will one day marry.
Romania
On the 24th of February, Romanian’s celebrate Dragobete, which is a holiday full of love and is associated with the beginning of spring.
Tradition follows that young men and women meet in front of their local church and go together into the forest to pick flowers – the men who find strawberry flowers are deemed the luckiest, and place bouquets of them into the water whilst reciting a particular poem.
At noon, the women would run back into the villages where men harbouring feelings for them would catch them, and if their feelings were returned, the pair would kiss to make their love known to those around them.
Couples also wash their faces in snow as a sign of good luck.
Brazil
Unlike western countries, Brazil doesn’t celebrate St. Valentine’s Day – instead, they celebrate Dia dos Namorados on 12th June, translated as ‘Lover’s Day’.
It’s celebrated on this date due to its proximity to St. Anthony’s Day which is widely known across Brazil as the saint who blessed young couples with successful marriages.
It is celebrated similarly to St. Valentine’s Day though, with gift-giving, flowers and chocolates between couples.
Czech Republic
1st May is known as ‘Love Day’ and is celebrated instead of St. Valentine’s Day on the 14th February.
In 1836, poet Karol Hynek Macha, wrote the romantic ‘May’ which reiterated the love already celebrated on this day.
Today, couples visit a statue of Macha, and kiss under the cherry trees for good luck.
If you are marking Valentine’s Day in another country this year be sure to explore how local traditions might vary from those in the UK so you can meet your partner’s expectations and join in with the fun!
Written by
Philip McHugh