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Around The World On St. Valentine's Day
Author : Helen Jones
Submitted : 2012-01-26 00:00:00 Word Count : 445 Popularity: Not Rated
Tags: Valentines day, traditions, St. Valentine, Latin America, Asia, love
While St. Valentine's Day has spread around the globe and become a universally celebrated day for love and romance, there continue to be regional and national variations on the basic theme. In many countries of Latin America the day is known as Día del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship) and is seen more as a time to perform acts of appreciation for friends and loved ones. This is the case in countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Puerto Rico. But in Guatemala it is known as Día del Cariño (Affection Day), with a little more emphasis on romance.
Brazil celebrates the day in the most unique manner of all. In-fact, it isn't even celebrated on February 14th since this date is too close to the traditional Carnival. Rather, the day is celebrated on June 12th, since this is near St. Anthony's Day, the marriage saint. During this time, single women perform rituals known as simpatias with the goal of finding a good husband or boyfriend. Colombia is an exception in that it celebrates the day on three consecutive Saturdays in September. This celebration is more closely associated with Christmas than St. Valentine's Day though.
In Asia the day is gaining in popularity under the impetus of a concerted marketing campaign. The most success in this effort has been seen in South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. In those three countries the basic theme of Valentine's Day has been widely adopted. And while the ties to ancient Roman mythology have been totally lost in these countries, the connection to modern marketing and globalization have not. Indeed, they provide the drive behind its growth.
In Japan the day has a couple of unusual adaptations. Apparently due to some confusion in early promotions of this western celebration, on February 14th only women give gifts – almost always chocolates – to the men in their lives. In-order to make up for this, an additional celebration has been carved out of March in which men not only return the favor – but are expected to give a gift with three times the value of the one they received.
But while there are still variations in how St. Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world, it is clear that this is a celebration that is here to stay. And just as love is a universal emotion, the ways in which this day is celebrated around the world are becoming more and more alike each year. It isn't hard to imagine a day in the not to distant future when Valentine's Day will be a world-wide celebration of romantic love.
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