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Do you have unusual Valentine’s Day traditions? Would you get into these worldly ways of celebrating?
Slovenia
Valentine’s Day is considered one of the patron saints of spring and in Slovenia, February 14th marks the day that plants begin to regenerate. Slovenia even has a proverb that says “St Valentine brings the keys of roots.” Birds are known to ‘propose’ to each other on this day and all you have to do to see this is walk barefoot through fields that are still frozen. Following the holiday, on March 12th, people generally celebrate their love for each other and in a warmer and less frosty way than walking barefoot through frozen fields.
Japan
In Japan, it’s all about chocolate. However, it’s the type of chocolate you get for your mate that matters. If you’re gifting chocolate to your husband, boyfriend or someone you want to be your husband or boyfriend, the honmei-choco (translated as ‘true feeling’) chocolates that are hand delivered are the way to go. When it comes to work friends or acquaintances, the giri-choco is a less-expensive version of chocolate to give out and is seen as more of an obligation chocolate. A box of cho-giri choco however is the ultra-obligation chocolate and is given out to male coworkers or acquaintances or people you just aren’t as fond of. What would you think of getting any obligation boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day? Once March 14th rolls around, loved ones who received the honmei-choco are expected to gift back things costing two or three times the chocolates they got on Valentine’s Day, including things like jewelry or fancy underwear.
South Korea
Valentine’s Day in South Korea looks like Japan in some ways, with the women being the ones to give out the chocolates. The women are in turn given presents on White Day, about a month later. There is a third day that Koreans celebrate but love isn’t what they’re celebrating. Instead, they like to mourn being alone forever, on April 14th for ‘Black Day.’ This informal celebration or commiseration of single life is for singles to dress in black, from head to toe and gather with friends for jajangmyeon, a Korean noodle dish with a black bean sauce. Korean’s also like to enjoy love on the 14th in other months, including May’s Rose Day. June’s Kiss Day and December’s Hug Day, to name a few.
South Africa
In South Africa, people celebrate love with chocolates, flowers and candlelit dinners. (Hmm, so far this sounds pretty American and pretty typical.) South Africans like to literally wear their heart on their sleeve, following a Roman festival called ‘Lupercalia.’ This isthought to be the predecessor to Valentine’s Day. For Lupercalia, young girls pin the name of their crush on their sleeve for the day. (The original festival sacrificed goats and men would later run through the streets wearing the skins, which they would whip women with to “bless them with fertility.” Yike.
So what do you think of these unusual Valentine’s Day traditions? Let me know what you like about them in the comments!