In Mexico the holiday is know as El Día de San Valentín, the day of love and friendship. Balloon vendors sell colorful, heart-shaped declarations of love, reading: Te Amo (I love you), Para mi amor (for my love), or Felicidades (congratulations). Chocolates and red roses are given to friends and family, as well as to lovers and spouses.
In Scotland Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a festival where equal numbers of single men and women write their names on pieces of paper, roll them up and place them in a men’s hat and women’s hat. Then each person takes the name of a person of the opposite sex. The man is obliged to stick with the valentine who has chosen him. A Scottish valentine superstition (also found in Italy and England ), says that an unmarried woman will marry the first man she sees on that day — or at least somebody who looks like him.
In Spain it is customary for courting couples to exchange gifts and for husbands to send their wives a bunch of roses.
In the United States and Canada men and women exchange gifts of flowers, candies and other finery such as jewelry, perfume and sexy clothing along with elaborate valentine cards bearing romantic messages.
In Wales wooden love spoons are carved and given as gifts on Feb. 14. Hearts, keys and keyholes are favorite decorations on the spoons, meaning: “You unlock my heart.”
By the Way, there’s still time to order flowers for your Valentine!
February 12th, 2008
In France young unmarried people as well as older unmarried people would go into houses facing each other and start calling out across from one window to another, pairing off with the one they have chosen. If the young man didn’t fancy his valentine he would desert her and as a result afterwards a bonfire would be lit where the young ladies would burn images of the young man and would yell out abuse as she burnt the image of the young man.
In Germany women plant onions in pots, giving each a man’s name and placing them near the fireplace. The first sprouting onion is the husband-to-be.
In Japan downtown Tokyo department stores sell elegantly wrapped chocolates, but the candy buyers are all women. In Japan women are expected to give men chocolates. On Feb. 14, office ladies, known as OLs in Japanese, buy giri chocos — obligation chocolates — for their bosses. If a woman is interested in someone, she lets him know by giving honmei chocolates “true feeling gifts,” which bear romantic messages.
In Italy Valentine’s Day is celebrated as a Spring Festival and his held in the open air. The young would gather in leafy glades or ornamental gardens, where they would listen to music and hear poetry read, then they would stroll off with their valentine together into the gardens. In Turin it was once customary for an engaged couple to announce their engagement on this day. For a while before the day shops would be decorated and filled with all sorts of bon-bons. In Rome St Valentine’s Day in known as Lupercalia – a very romantic and pleasure-loving occasion. Order your Valentine Flowers Early!
February 12th, 2008