It’s that time of year when we all start to think about romance and either spending time with that special someone, or finding someone new. If there’s one holiday that’s captured imaginations around the world, it’s Valentine’s Day. It’s perhaps not so surprising. After all, whatever your preferences, love is universal. Not everyone celebrates it with chocolates and roses however – there are a number of traditions from around the world that we think are pretty cool, and could give some ideas for some pretty special alternative date suggestions.
New and Old Traditions for Valentine’s Day
Not every culture celebrates Valentine’s Day – it did originate as a Christian festival after all. That said, there seem to be versions that are striking similar in cultures around the world – an in particular there seem to be many that are aimed at singles
- Malaysia has a Day of Love, which we think is a great name for it. Using the lunar calendar, the seventh day of the seventh month is when a tradition which we quite like takes place. Single women buy oranges on which they write their phone numbers. They then throw them in local rivers. The hope is that the man of their dreams will find it and call them up. As you might expect, there’s a brisk trade in both marked and unmarked oranges.
- In Scotland, Valentine’s Day is sometimes marked by get-togethers where single people write their names on a piece of paper. Men’s names go in one hat, women’s in another and names are picked out to match up couples for the evening’s meal and dance.
- Other cultures, such as Japan, reverse the traditional roles – women are expected to buy the gifts.
- Brazil celebrates the Dia dos Namorados on the 12th of June. On the day before, women write the names of their crushes on folded pieces of paper and add them to a pile. The next day, whoever’s name they pick out of the pile is meant to be the person they are meant to be with, or at least choose who to pursue for a date.
- A similar tradition is widespread in other South American countries under the name of the Dia del Amor y la Amistad – the “Love and Friendship Day”, where people are assigned random people for whom to buy a gift – a sort of Secret Santa event.
- One we particularly like is a tradition in South Korea, where the fourteenth of each month is dedicated to some aspect of love
Love really does make the world go round, as these brief examples show. The glow that comes from a new love, or the celebration of an enduring one, can lift us all out of our ruts and ready to face the world. Let’s not let ourselves get stuck in thinking there’s only one way to celebrate this special day and keep looking for ways to make it fun and exciting every year.