A world full of love

If you are committed to someone on Feb. 14, you will almost certainly give and receive a Hallmark card and maybe other gifts. You might go out to dinner for a romantic evening.

But have you ever stopped and wondered how people in other countries celebrate Valentine’s Day? The Web site, www.stvalentinesday.org, offers plenty of information about traditions around the world.

Additionally, the University of Kansas is home to so many international students that you can always get some firsthand information.

Because of globalization, Valentine’s Day is now very similar all around the world, but local traditions make the difference.

Sonnets and tabloids

Great Britain was home to William Shakespeare, so it’s no surprise that weeks before Valentine’s Day newspapers, magazines and tabloids start publishing sonnets and other forms of poetry.

British children also sing special songs and are rewarded with candy, fruit or money on the holiday. The British tabloids also use Valentine’s Day to make jokes and utilize that famous British sense of “humour.”

The consequences of French passion

In France, celebrating Valentine’s Day is strictly for lovers.

“I was really surprised when I went into the Valentine’s Day card section and saw mother to son cards. I suppose it’s a kind of love, but we don’t have these kinds of cards in France,” said Sophie Delahaye, Paris, graduate student. “Valentine’s Day there is celebrated only by lovers.”

Historically, the French would celebrate the day with an interesting tradition known as “une loterie d’amour” or “a drawing for love.” On Valentine’s Day, single men and women, young and old, went into houses facing each other. Men and women would call out from one window to another and pair off. If the man wasn’t particularly interested in his valentine, he would leave her. As a consequence, a bonfire was lit afterward where women would burn images of the men that didn’t love them. This custom was eventually banned because of the disturbances it caused.

Every Valentine’s Day there is also a pilgrimage of lovers to the village of St. Valentin, the only town in France to bear the saint’s name.

Couples take pictures and spend the day there together.

But some believe France is losing some of its passion during the holiday.

“I think we are basically reproducing the American culture, and it is getting more and more commercial,” said Sylvaine Rivalland, Nantes, France, graduate student.

Scottish love festival

An equal number of unmarried men and women attend this festival in Scotland. Each person writes his or her name on a piece of paper and places it in a hat. There is one hat for men and one for women.

Each person draws a name from the opposite hat. If names don’t match, the man usually pairs up with the woman who drew his name. After everyone is paired, each woman pins the name of her partner over her heart. There is dancing and, sometimes, even weddings at the festival.

The joking Danish

In Denmark, people send pressed white flowers — called Snowdrops — to their friends. There is also a form of valentine called the “gaekkebrev” or “joking letter.”

The gaekkebrev consists of a penned rhyme. Instead of signing his name the sender signs with dots. Each dot represents a letter of the sender’s name.

If the recipient guesses the name of the sender, she gets an Easter egg later in the year.

Rituals and saints

Brazil doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th. “Dia dos Namorados,” the “Day of the Enamored,” is celebrated on June 12. It commemorates the day before Saint Anthony’s day. He is known in Brazil as the marriage saint.

Unlike in the United States, only couples celebrate the day. There is no card exchange between family members or friends.

“In Brazil, Valentine’s Day is more about couples, and if you’re not dating anyone, it sucks. I think that’s the main difference between both cultures. People are just as romantic here and there on Valentine’s Day, nothing to do with culture really,” said Terena Silva, Recife, Brazil, senior.

7: The number of romance

The Chinese also celebrate Valentine’s Day on a different day. The Chinese Valentine’s Day is known as the “Festival of the Double Sevens”, or “Qi Xi.” The festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar.

This year’s festival will be celebrated on Aug. 11. It’s a rich and colorful celebration. Young women usually showcase their domestic arts, like melon carving. Couples visit and pray for their love at the Temple of Matchmaker.

People who are single also visit the temple and ask for luck finding love.

Japan’s two Valentine’s Days

In Japan, there are two different dates for Valentine’s Day: Feb. 14 and Mar. 14. In February, women give gifts to their lovers — or any man close to them. Men return the favor in March. Japanese women can give two different kinds of chocolate to men. The first one is called giri-choco and is given to friends and bosses. The second one is called hon-mei and is given to husbands and boyfriends. While giri-choco is bought more as an obligation, hon-mei chocolate is homemade and considered special.

“In Japan, as the day comes closer, boys start to behave well and gently for girls because they want to get as many chocolates as they can,” said Yumi Ujihara, Chiba, Japan, junior.

“The day is considered a special day, which girls can officially tell their feelings to the guys who they like. This is because Japanese girls are traditionally seen as more passive and submissive than boys,” she said.

— Edited by Jonathan Kealing