Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love, Hugs & Kisses

Whether you’re in love or looking for your soulmate, Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate love in all its forms. And, of course, enjoy those chocolates, and roses, and gifts!

Love, Then & Now

This festival of love was named after Saint Valentine, who was a martyr in ancient Rome. He is also considered the patron saint of love, beekeeping, and epilepsy. (Well… this part seems logical…) However, the legend of St. Valentine comes with a twist, as there were multiple St. Valentines. Sadly, the historic records are sparse, and so the exact connection to romantic love remains a bit unclear.

Initially, this day was most likely related to the Roman festival Lupercalia, a springtime fertility celebration. However, this link has been debated by many historians, with some even suggesting that this whole association was invented as late as in the 18th century.

Nevertheless, it was thanks to poets like Chaucer that this day became officially associated with romantic love back in the Middle Ages, as seen in his poem “Parliament of Fowls” from 1382.

Since love and romance are obviously inherent to humankind, by the 18th century, exchanging cards and tokens of affection had become very popular in England, with the first mass-produced Valentine’s Day cards appearing in the mid-19th century. And the rest is, more or less, history, as they say.

Love Around the World

In the United States, exchanging chocolates, flowers, and cards is the most common way of celebrating Valentine’s Day, followed by proposals and romantic dinners. In fact, over 145 million Valentine’s cards are exchanged annually!

However, in Japan, they have a completely different tradition. Or traditions, to be exact. There, women gift chocolates to men. But not any kind of chocolates. Giri choco, or “obligation chocolate” is given as a sign of thanks to platonic male colleagues. Honmei choco, the so-called “favorite chocolate” is given to men with whom women are romantically involved. However, there are many other types of chocolates women can gift in Japan, like Tomo choco, or “friendship chocolates”, given to female friends. If you’re interested in nitty-gritty, check it out here. Oh, yeah – another interesting thing – a month later, on White Day, men reciprocate with gifts such as chocolates, jewelry, or even clothing.

Just across the island, in South Korea, both Valentine’s Day and White Day are celebrated, but they also have Black Day on April 14. On Black Day, singles eat jajangmyeon, which are black bean noodles.

On another island, Wales, there’s yet another unique celebration of love. On January 25, the Welsh celebrate Dydd Santes Dwynwen, which features wooden “love spoons” intricately carved with romantic symbols. If you wish to learn more about St Dwynwen, see what Visit Wales has to say about it. (Also, visit Wales!)

Another continent, another tradition. In Brazil, on June 12, they celebrate Dia dos Namorados, on the eve of Saint Anthony’s Day, the patron saint of marriage.

Love, Fun Facts & Trivia

There isn’t a single person in this world without a funny anecdote or an interesting story related to love, romance, or infatuation. Here are some widely known but wildly interesting facts.

One of the most common symbols of Valentine’s Day is Cupid. Cupid is the Roman god of love, represented by a naked baby boy with wings. He flies around and shoots arrows at people to make them fall in love. (Kind of annoying, like a little mosquito, don’t you think?) Oh, and – his counterpart in Greek mythology was Eros.

On February 14, the whole town is painted red (no pun intended), with a dash of pink and some white. This can be traced back to color psychology, which states that red is the color of passion, pink of sweetness, and white of purity.

You may not have heard of Mr. Richard Cadbury, but back in 1868, this wonderful man and – above all – astute businessman, became the first person ever to commercialize the connection between romance and confectionery by producing a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. (We will be forever thankful for this contribution!) True story!

Valentine’s Day is also a solid source of many world records, from the biggest bouquet to the biggest card, among many other things. But did you know that, in 2016, the world record was broken for the “hottest kiss”? On “Bachelor in Paradise”, Carly Waddell and Evan Bass ate habanero peppers for 30 seconds, and then kissed for an entire one minute and 41 seconds. (Ah, the things we won’t do for love!) Also, if you’re into more info on Valentine’s world records, check them out here.

And last but not least, it’s worth noting that, worldwide, our beloved pets get Valentine’s treats. In the US, as always, they like to take things a bit further, so they splash out over $1 billion dollars on various Valentine’s gifts for their little friends.

Love & Games

(Not that kind of games! Geesh! OK, perhaps not the most unequivocal title in the whole world, but bear with me!)

On Valentine’s Day, just like on every other day – but especially on Valentine’s Day – it is extremely important to know how to express yourself. Properly. One of the ways we can do this is, of course, by saying I love you.

If your love can surmount all boundaries, then you’ll definitely need to be able to express yourself in various languages. Hence the following game.

In this game, you have to match the countries with their corresponding I love yous.

Lots of love & good luck!

Do you know any other ways to say I love you? Get in touch & let us know!

If you’re a fan of love – or this post – spread the cheer with your friends and family.

And remember – always keep your mind sharp and your smile brighter! 😉