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How love is celebrated around the world

February 11, 2014

How love is celebrated around the world

While most cultures around the world have adopted and adapted Valentine's Day, some still celebrate their own traditional holidays of love - and some are really interesting, centuries old or totally peculiar. Since Valentine's Day is in a few days, let's take a look at some of the more interesting lovers' days from around the world.

1. China - The Qixi Festival

The magpies help Niulang, Zhinu and their children reunite for a day. Image source

The seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar is the day of Qi Xi Jie, or the Qixi festival, an important traditional Chinese holiday that celebrates love.

While there are many variations of the story that started the holiday, one tells that Niulang, a cow herder, and Zhinu, a weaver of clouds and daughter of the ruler of heaven fell in love and got married, but Zhinu's mother and queen of heaven disapproved of the bond because Niulang was a mere mortal. The cow herder represents the Altair star and the weaver represents the Vega star; the queen of heaven separated them with a river in the sky - the Milky Way. One night a year, the queen sends magpies to bridge the gap between the two lovers allowing them to be together for a short time -  that is the night when the Qi Xi Jie festival takes place.

The romantic story paved the way for couples to celebrate their own bond, so on Qixi, couples go to the temple of a Matchmaker and pray for their love and potential future marriage, while single folks go to the same temple and ask for luck in love. Various traditions involving young girls have basically disappeared, leaving Qixi a holiday similar to Valentine's Day - and about as commercialized. 

2. South Korea - Pepero Day

Tall and thin will be wishful thinking after eating a few boxes of these things. Image source

Now this is a fun holiday that isn't even rooted in tradition - peperos are cookie sticks dipped in chocolate and it is said that Pepero Day started in 1983 when two middle school students exchanged peperos wishing they'd become tall and thin like peperos.

Exchanging peperos on Pepero Day is now a sign of affection toward friends and loved ones.

Pepero Day is celebrated in South Korea on the 11th of November and it has been criticized for being a commercial holiday encouraged by pepero-producing businesses who make a huge part of their annual profits on Pepero Day. I think we see a pattern here.

3. Israel - Tu B'Av

Celebrating fertility and love. Image source

A holiday of love with a history tracing back into biblical times, Tu B''Av is celebrated on the 15th day of Av - this year (2014) falling on the night between 11th of August and the 12th of August, a night with a full moon.

Tu B'Av marked the beginning of the grape harvest and unmarried girls used to dress in white and go out to dance in the vineyards. Today, Tu B''Av is considered a lucky day for marriage, proposals or renewals of vows and it's customary to send red roses to lovers. Tu B'Av too became a popular date for gifts, flowers and romantic dinners.

4. Romania - Dragobete

Some more fertility rituals. There's something to be said about pagan celebrations in very religious countries. Image source

Dragobete is a centuries old tradition that's celebrated on the 24th of February. Traditionally, girls and boys would meet to celebrate by singing and dancing and often times the bonds formed would lead to marriages. It's a celebration of love, of fertility and welcoming of spring.

One legend tells that Dragobete was taught by a wise man to read from a secret book of nature where he learned to talk to birds and understand nature, as well as make himself liked by men and women alike. On the night of the 23rd of February, he visits the men's dreams and teaches them the secrets of love. Dragobete is considered the protector and bringer of love.

Dragobete was a minor holiday until Valentine's Day became more popular, when Romanians started celebrating Dragobete in larger numbers to counter what they considered a commercial cultural import with a traditional holiday that also celebrated love. Ironically, it's celebrated in the same way as Valentine's Day (flowers,  gifts, dinners) and only 10 days after it, only bringing more profit to businesses profiting from both holidays in a short time span.

5. Brazil - Dia dos Namorados

Brazilians sure know how to celebrate anything with style! Image source

Dia dos Namorados, or Lovers' Day, is the 12th of June, a day before Saint Anthony's day who is considered a marriage saint. It's a big holiday in Brazil. Traditionally, girls would pray to Saint Anthony to find their husbands and there is even a legend that says girls should write the names of three love interests on pieces of paper and place them under their pillow on the night of the 12th of June and, in the morning, the first name they pulled out from under the pillow would be their future husband.

Nowadays, Brazilians celebrate their love with colorful street decorations, carnivals or parades and lots of dancing and music and lovers send each other flowers, chocolates, various gifts and they have romantic dinners, everything associated with Valentine's Day. Just much more festive and jolly. It sounds like a very fun place to go with a lover in tow to have a wonderful time.

With love,

Corina