Valentine's Day traditions around the world

Ah, Valentine's Day - that time of year where we give flowers, chocolates and often guilt when we forget the former. St Valentine of Rome lived in the late 3rd century AD, but astonishingly little is known about him. Stories tell that he aided persecuted Christians and committed the serious crime of officiating weddings, despite marriage being made illegal by Emperor Claudius II. Valentine was imprisoned, but apparently fell in love with a jailer's daughter. On the day of his beheading he sent a love letter to her reading 'from your Valentine'. Absolutely apocryphal, but a nice story.

However, today I wanted to talk about how Valentine's Day is celebrated around the world.

1. Japan 

Let's start with Japan, where things a slightly more topsy-turvy than we're used to in the UK and USA. Valentine's Day is a recent import in Japan, brought to their shores in 1936 by the Morozoff confectioner. However, it only really took off in the 70s, but instead as a day where women showed their affection (and confection) to the men in their lives. Whether this is a husband, a colleague or a classmate, women offer chocolates on the day. The giri choko, or obligation chocolate, is a cheaper sweet given to friends, but the honmei choko (true feeling chocolate) is reserved for their love. Exactly a month after, on March 14th, men shower their women with sweets and gifts at a time known as White Day.

2. Colombia

Colombians celebrate their version of Valentine's on September 20th with Love and Friendship Day, which is more about friends than romance. On this day friends get together for food and larks, swapping the L&F Day version of Secret Santa gifts. While the sentiment of the day is nice, it was created by the government purely to boost the economy in September, where there was not yet another holiday.

3. India

Like Japan, Valentine's Day is a new celebration for India, but isn't widely accepted. In the 90s, after the economic liberalisation, middle-class folks who could afford a TV began to be influenced by the western notion of Valentine's Day. The celebration has become part of a subculture in India, as the ruling class, with some political figures seeing it as an attack on Indian culture. Because of this, February 14th brings with it scenes of protest and violence in cities.

4. China

The Qi Xi Festival is China's Val's Day equivalent, celebrated on August 28th and has its origin in a 2000 year-old fairy story. This I can get behind. The tale tells of a goddess called Zhi Nu, who was a great weaver. One day she went to the mortal realm where she met and fell in love with a cow herder called Niu Lang. They were married and had two beautiful children, but their happiness would be short lived. Zhi Nu's mother, the queen mother of heaven, found out about the marriage and was angry and took her daughter back to heaven, away from her loving family. Don't reach for the tissues just yet, because an old cow that Niu Lang had once helped revealed himself to be a god injured in the mortal world. The cow god told him that when he died, Niu could have his skin to fashion shoes to fly him to heaven. Once the god passed away, Niu set to work fashioning the shoes from his hide and flew to the heavens with his children to rescue his love. But the queen mother of heaven used a hairpin to form a river of stars, which we see now as the Milky Way, casting a rift between the husband and wife. When the magpies saw what was happening, they felt sorry for the couple and using their bodies, formed a bridge over the star river so they could be together. The queen mother decided that the couple could see each other once a year every year on Qi Xi.

The Chinese also celebrate a holiday on 14th February called the Lantern Festival, but like in many places westernisation has taken a hold and stores offer Valentine's gifts and chocolates.

5. Germany

Ah, Valentinstag! After the second world war, Valentine's Day became popular in Germany. If you go to Germany on February 14th, you will find all the usual trappings of the day - chocolates, flowers, gifts, but there's an odd, but adorable, exception - the pig. In Germany, pigs are synonymous with Valentine's Day, which is why you will see lots of pig-shaped confectionery and gifts. You see, in Germany the pig is a symbol of luck and lust, so it makes sense that they're also included in the celebrations of love.

Any way you celebrate the day, or even if you don't, I hope you have a great February 14th.