Unique and wonderful Valentine’s Day traditions from around the world

Ah Valentine’s Day. We all know what’s expected of us, but how about shaking things up this Valentine’s Day and trying one of the many foreign customs celebrated on this day.

Japan

Japanese women are usually said to be reserved and shy when it comes to expressing their affections with lovey-dovey gestures.

However, on Valentine’s Day the women are in the forefront, presenting the men in their lives with gifts (usually chocolates) to express their love.

This custom of gifting chocolate in Japan on February 14 was first introduced in 1936 by a Kobe-based confectioner when it ran the first ever Valentine’s Day ad in Japan. The confectioner had been targeting the city’s large western population, but the native Japanese picked up on it instead, particular the ladies.

By the 70s the phenomenon had developed to such a degree that there was even different types of chocolates available to express different feelings, from ‘giri-choko’ which was given to work colleagues or friends to ‘honmei-choko’ which was given to husbands or boyfriends. Some were even hand made by the women themselves – a true sign of devotion.

South Korea

The Koreans really don’t like offending people. On Valentine’s Day women present gifts to their men.

The men then reciprocate a month later, on March 14 on ‘White Day’.

And, not to leave those unattached out of the picture, they get their own day on April 14, or ‘Black Day’ where they meet up in restaurants and celebrate single life with some special white noodles and black-bean sauce.

Denmark and Norway

Valentinsdag is a relatively new phenomenon in these Scandinavian countries, having been adopted from the American tradition, but they still managed to put their own twist on it.

“Gaekkebrev” are funny little poems or rhyming love notes that men send to women anonymously on Valentine’s Day, giving them only a clue as to the number of letters in the senders name, represented by a dot for each letter. The recipient must then guess who sent the card. If she guesses correctly she wins an Easter egg in time for Easter.

Wales

It’s all over in Wales. Dwynwen’s Day, otherwise known as the Welsh Valentine’s Day, takes place every year on January 25. It commemorates the Welsh Saint Dwynwen, whose ancient and tragic love story has inspired Welsh people for generations to exchange cards and gifts, and to express their deepest feelings for one another.

The legend states that Dwynwen fell in love with a young prince named Maeron. Maeron reciprocated her feelings but for an undetermined reason, they could not be together. Among the traditional gifts given are ornamental wood spoons known as ‘lovespoons’.