The smell of roses and chocolate, scenes of cupids and hearts are some things that are connected to Valentine’s Day. Yet, this holiday in some places is not just a day on February 14th or only connected to those sort of gifts. So, here is my gift to you as a way to get inspiration for that special someone or just interested in culture. Here are five different Valentine’s Days/traditions around the world.
Wales
Wales does not celebrate Valentine’s Day, but they do celebrate St. Dwynwen’s Day. St. Dwynwen is the patron saint of love and January 25th is her day. One of the stories about her says she was one of King Brychan’s 24 daughters and was the prettiest of them all. She was sent into an arranged marriage, yet she loved another named Maelon Dafodrill. When she asked her father to marry Maelon, he refused and so Dwynwen went into the woods. She prayed there and with luck her prayers were answered. She was given a potion that would heal her heartache over Maelon.
When she drank it, he was put on ice as a block of ice. So she was then given three wishes because of her devotion for drinking the potion. Her first wish was for Maelon to go back to the way he was, the second wish was for divine aid to all true lovers, and the last wish was for her to never have to marry. So that wish was granted in the form of her becoming a nun for the rest of her life.
Wales has an island called Llanddwyn which is said to be where Dwynwen had lived; it has the ruins of her church and even a well that legend says can tell you if your love life is successful or not. A tradition on St. Dwynwen’s Day is for men to give their lover a hand carved spoon as a sign of love. (Bluestone) (Odysseys)
China
In China, they celebrate the Qixi Festival which takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month in accordance with China’s version of the lunar calendar. The festival has a legend that goes with it that follows a cow herder and a celestial weaver. The legend goes that a young herder named Niulang saved his old ox from sickness and so the ox introduced Niulang to Zhinü, a celestial weaver and the daughter of the goddess of Heaven. The two got married in secret and had a son and daughter but Zhinü’s mother learned about this. She sent her soldiers to take Zhinü back to heaven. When the ox heard about this he had Niulang use his skin to take him and his children to heaven to find her. Niulang and Zhinü were close to being reunited when Zhinü’s mother created a river between them. With that, the magpies felt sorry for them and created a bridge to reunite them and Zhinü’s mother finally understood so she had them reunite on the magpie bridge every Qixi festival.
People go on dates, giving cards and more, just like on Valentine’s Day. Some other traditions include women speedily threading a needle in the moonlight, carving flowers, birds and animals on a melon skin is also another tradition. (Culture trip) (Odysseys)
Argentina
In Argentina, they have a whole week of celebrating from July 1st to the 7th in lieu of Valentine’s Day known as “Sweetness Week.” The holiday started in 1989 as the Arcor candy company’s marketing campaign which was named “Candy for a Kiss.” People would exchange kisses for candy. People loved the idea and over time it became “Sweetness Week.” People now do candy based activities and gifts as a way to celebrate this holiday. (Day of the Year) (Odysseys)
South Africa
In South Africa people also celebrate Valentine’s Day with flowers, cards and of course chocolate, but a special tradition they have there is that some women pin their crush’s name on their sleeve and hope the feeling is reciprocated. This tradition has roots all the way to Roman times with the Pagan festival Lupercalia which was held the day after Valentine’s Day on February 15th. (Odysseys)
France
Last but not least, France, the country of love. Valentine’s Day in French is La St-Valentin and it follows the same tradition in America, but they take cards and poetry to the next level. This is because in the Middle Ages poet Geoffrey Chaucer promoted the spreading of poems to lovers in France and England. There is even a famous Valentine’s Day card dating to the 15th Century written by the imprisoned Duke of Orleans to his lover. Raymond Peynet also promoted the holiday with his work showing couples and lovers that brings out the romance that makes France special. (French moments) (Odysseys)