{"id":70424,"date":"2016-02-14T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2016-02-14T17:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=70424"},"modified":"2016-02-14T13:00:51","modified_gmt":"2016-02-14T18:00:51","slug":"valentines-day-traditions-around-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2016\/02\/14\/valentines-day-traditions-around-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Valentine\u2019s Day: Traditions Around the World"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"(ShutterStock<\/a>
(ShutterStock image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s that time of year again when we celebrate romantic love.<\/p>\n

On Valentine\u2019s Day, we find ourselves getting the best bargain of flowers, chocolates, cards, teddy bears and other exciting gifts; making reservations in fancy restaurants or preparations for a secluded getaway; or simply scouring the internet for new surprise ideas this year \u2013 all to make our loved ones feel special.<\/p>\n

Contrary to the ordinary, some countries commemorate the day through other means as they observe cultural\u00a0customs\u00a0while celebrating the season of love.<\/p>\n

Philippines: Mass Marriages<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"wedding<\/a><\/p>\n

In the whole month, Filipinos take the time to tie the knot. There are the \u201cmass marriages,\u201d where hundreds of couples around the country simultaneously say their vows. The local governments arrange these ceremonies for unwed couples who could not afford the costs that weddings entail.<\/p>\n

Taiwan: Color-coded Roses<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"shutterstock_307400021\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On this day, Taiwanese men purchase expensive bouquets of roses for their paramours. The color and number of the roses have varied meanings. One red rose is for \u201can only love;\u201d ninety-nine roses is for \u201cforever;\u201d and one hundred eight roses is for \u201cmarry me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Japan: Chocolates<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"chocolate<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the other way around here; Japanese women are the ones who give chocolates to their boyfriends, dates, friends and even bosses as an expression of either love, courtesy or social obligation. After a whole month, Japanese men take their turn to reciprocate the gifts by giving something color white like chocolates, jewelries and even lingerie to women.<\/p>\n

Scotland: Festivals and Love-tokens<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"shutterstock_292297256\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The day is celebrated with a festival where single men and women write their names on pieces of paper and place them in hats, one hat for the men and another for the women. Each then draws names from the hats. The group would then split into couples and end the day with dancing. The men would also give gifts to women in the form of a \u201clove-token.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wales: Love Spoons<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"shutterstock_361937906\"<\/a><\/p>\n

On this day, Welsh men give love spoons \u2013 an age old tradition where men carved intricate designs on wooden spoons and presented them to women they sought to court or marry. The designs they carved were symbolic; keys signified a man\u2019s heart, wheels his hard work, and beads his preferred number of children.<\/p>\n

Denmark: Snowdrops and Gaekkebrev<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"shutterstock_245559172\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Instead of the usual red roses, Danish give \u201csnowdrops\u201d or pressed white flowers and \u201cgaekkebrev\u201d or anonymous handwritten letters in intricately cut papers to their sweethearts.<\/p>\n

Estonia: Friend\u2019s Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aside from couples celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day, Estonian families and friends also enjoy the \u201cS\u00f5brap\u00e4ev\u201d or Friend\u2019s Day. This is double-celebration an effort to include non-romantic relationships in the festivities.<\/p>\n

England: Jack Valentine<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"shutterstock_340529846\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Aside from the traditional practices, the Englishmen also have \u201cJack Valentine\u201d sometimes also known as Old Father Valentine or Old Mother Valentine who sneaks in children\u2019s rooms on Valentine\u2019s Eve and leaves candies and presents. For generations, parents continue this tradition as kids waited anxiously for Jack Valentine.<\/p>\n

*All photos from ShutterStock<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year again when we celebrate romantic love. On Valentine\u2019s Day, we find ourselves getting the best …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":70646,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1482,3],"tags":[9637],"class_list":["post-70424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking","category-lifestyle","tag-pci","mauthors-cyra-moraleda","mauthors-philippine-canadian-inquirer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}