Valentine's Day Around the World

Many different holidays are celebrated world-wide. There are usually some differences as to how different cultures celebrate them too; however, Valentine's Day seems to be relatively universal with only minor differences. A lot of what is in this article is information gathered from the Huffingtonpost.

Picture from qrcodematrix.com

In America, Valentine's Day is covered in flowers and candy. Stores here love it! And what's not to love? You want to show your special people in your life you love them, and stores get to make a good amount of money. Win-win for everyone really. There are even new traditions starting up for those who don't have anyone that is getting them something. Going out with your friends and expressing how much that friendship actually means to you while having a good time is becoming really popular. But, hey, we're in America; who doesn't want an excuse for chocolate? So there, that pretty much wraps up how it is celebrated in America. Let's move on to how some other cultures put their own spin on it!

Picture from worldwidecollege.in

Let's start with Denmark. This country just started nationally celebrating Valentine's Day in 1990, so for them, this whole idea is pretty new. The tradition is celebrated on the same day as America, but instead of just giving each other candy and/or flowers, they also exchange a card with a funny poem or joke inside. I think this is a pretty cool idea. They took the bulk idea, and took out a bunch of the stress associated with getting someone a Valentine's Day gift. P.S.: The link under the picture takes you to a cite about studying abroad which I highly recommend!

Picture from lovespoons.co.uk

One country that does in fact celebrate the holiday very differently is Wales. They actually celebrate Saint Dwynwen, not Saint Valentine for obvious reasons. They also do their celebration in January on the 25th by giving each other love spoons. These are carved spoons that have different symbols on them to represent the heart, love, devotion, or other sentiments to their loved one. I think this idea is pretty cool. The person can either leave them on display so they and others can see it all the time, or they can actually use them. Either way, this gift is very functional and long-lasting.

Picture from news24.com

Finally, let's look at the Philippines. They do celebrate much like we do here in America. There's just one extra thing they do that stands out as possibly, a little odd, to some. On Valentine's day each year, there are many, and by many I mean hundreds if not thousand, of weddings that day. This has become so popular there, that they now have mass weddings! Weddings here are very individualistic most of the time, with particulars people love and stress about. But imagine having a group wedding with 10 or more couples. I wonder how they decide on the cake?

I hope some of you find this cool. Maybe you'll pick up some of the traditions talked about here or have had your interest piqued into looking up more traditions. Either way, if you liked this please feel free to share it with your friends and don't forget to subscribe!